There’s big news out of the Kentucky House of Representatives that has everyone’s mind on medical marijuana, and we’re hearing all kinds of questions from curious patients in the Bluegrass State.
“How do I get a Kentucky Marijuana Card” and “What kinds of marijuana products will I be able to buy” are the two questions we’ve seen most since the House passed a medical marijuana bill on March 17.
We’ve also heard a lot of questions from marijuana neophytes who are confused by all of the terminology they’re hearing. We’d like to pause from looking at current cannabis events and instead discuss some “beginner’s guide” topics.
In this article, we’ll look at tinctures, a form of cannabis that is likely to be legal in Kentucky if the Senate passes HB 136, the medical marijuana bill recently passed by the House. Tinctures are less familiar to inexperienced marijuana users than dosing methods, like smoking or vaping, but that doesn’t mean this method of medicating is without its advantages.
Current Kentucky Medical Marijuana Bill Allows Tinctures, but What Are Tinctures?
The current draft of HB 136 would allow medical marijuana patients to dose their medication via tinctures, which are “concentrated herbal extracts made by soaking the bark, berries, leaves (dried or fresh), or roots from one or more plants in alcohol or vinegar.” Tinctures are made using an oil, alcohol, or vinegar base that pulls the active ingredients from the plant parts and concentes them as a liquid.
Tinctures Offer Flexible Dosing Options, Quick Relief, and Precise Dosing
Although not as well known or as popular as dosing via smoking or vaping, tinctures offer patients a lot of advantages over some other options.
First, there are a variety of easy ways to dose with tinctures. You can take them orally by either swallowing a few drops or by adding them to your food or drinks. Usually, no more than a few drops are necessary for a dose, so tinctures can be added to nearly any food or drink without affecting the taste.
Unlike edibles, which can take 30-60 minutes to take effect, patients using tinctures feel the effects of their medication in as little as fifteen minutes. For even faster results, tinctures can be taken sublingually. Place the medicine under your tongue, hold it there for about a minute, and then swallow it. The active ingredients in the tincture will absorb directly into your bloodstream, taking effect within 20 minutes or less.
Another advantage of tinctures over most other dosing options is the ability to precisely and accurately dose medical marijuana each time you take your medicine.
Taking medical marijuana orally in any form avoids the potentially embarrassing odors associated with some other dosing methods. It also offers you the ability to precisely and accurately dose medical marijuana each time you take your medicine. Oral methods, including tinctures, allow you to accurately dose your medicine each time with a little practice.
Dr. Andrew Talbott, medical advisor to the Utah-based medical marijuana advocacy group TRUCE, explains that the effects of orally ingested cannabis are delayed. As a result, inexperienced patients may think their medication isn’t working and consume additional doses before the first one has taken effect, becoming overmedicated as a result.
However, once you’ve figured out your dosing needs, tinctures allow for easy, precise doses of an odorless, fast acting medication.
Doctors often prefer their patients dose via tinctures. For one thing, tinctures are long-lasting and easy on the lungs, and because tinctures aren’t absorbed through the digestive tract, unless you take them with food or water, they are easier on patients’ stomachs than other oral options.
Finally, tinctures are often available in formulations that emphasize CBD content, so they offer a lot of medicinal value and relief without side effects like other forms of medical marijuana provide.
If HB 136 Passes in Its Current Form, Kentuckians Will Be Able to Make Their Own Tinctures From Raw Marijuana Flower
Another exciting possibility offered by tinctures is the ability to cut costs by preparing your medicine yourself.
Raw Marijuana Flower Saves Money by Avoiding Processing
Fortunately, the medical marijuana bill currently being considered in the legislature would allow Kentuckians to purchase raw marijuana flower. Raw flower is the most affordable form of the medicine, because it doesn’t have to be processed in any significant way before it hits the dispensary shelves. No processing means the costs of processing aren’t passed onto consumers.
Raw Flower Encourages Participation, Further Driving Costs Down
With those cost savings, participation in the medical marijuana market is stimulated, ultimately benefiting all patients and not just those who purchase the flower. Participation in the medical marijuana market in Minnesota is expected to quadruple thanks to their recent addition of cannabis flower. That’s big news, considering that Minnesota’s medical marijuana market has struggled to grow due largely to their high prices.
Furthermore, as participation increases, costs in general are likely to decrease. Minnesota is a reminder that some states initially pass restrictive marijuana laws, only to loosen them up once voter demand (and the lack of apocalyptic consequences from legal medical marijuana) persuade lawmakers to expand treatment options. In 2021, for example, both Texas and Minnesota expanded their programs.
Raw Flower Means Ability to Make DIY Tinctures at Home
An advantage of having the option to purchase raw flower is the ability to make DIY medical marijuana products at home, such as edibles and, of course, tinctures.
If raw flower does end up being available in Kentucky’s medical marijuana market, you’ll be able to easily make your own tinctures by soaking flower in high-proof alcohol and straining out the residual solid plant parts. That’s all there is to it, and voila, homemade medicine!
We Have to Wait to Learn What Kentucky’s Medical Marijuana Market Will Be Like, but You Don’t Have to Wait to Get Started!
We know that medical marijuana will come to Kentucky sooner or later, but beyond that, we have to wait for developments to unfold before we know exactly what the law will allow.
You don’t have to wait to start on your medical marijuana journey. Reserve an evaluation online today with one of our compassionate doctors, and we’ll book an appointment for you as soon as Kentucky’s medical marijuana market is up and running. You’ll even save $25 off the cost of your evaluation by reserving an evaluation today!
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If you have any questions, call us at (833) 781-6360, or simply reserve a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust as soon as it’s available!