Why Medical Marijuana Patients Should Consider Cannabis Suppositories

When most people talk about their favorite way to use cannabis, the three most common methods are typically smoking it, vaping it, or eating it. As more states begin to legalize the recreational adult use of cannabis, it will be interesting to see how these trends either remain true or begin to change. But, too often these days, the legitimate need for medical marijuana gets lost in the discussion.

When you look at the plant from a purely medicinal standpoint, smoking and vaporizing it are the least effective of the most popular delivery methods.

According to an article originally posted in Merry Jane, only 15% of the bioavailable plant medicine gets delivered to your body when you smoke cannabis. That number takes a meager hop to 35% when you eat cannabis.

What this means is that for patients who are just being introduced to cannabis-based treatment, or for those who are already deep into that treatment, they must either eat or smoke or vaporize an incredible amount of THC. Not only can this be financially costly, but it can be an overwhelming experience for those not used to such large dosages – like minors, for example.

But many experts agree that it is very possible to increase the delivery rate by which THC enters one’s system, and the most effective way so far has been through the use of cannabis suppositories which can deliver 80% of the cannabis plant’s medicinal value to a patient in need.

That’s right – in many cases, ingesting cannabis by mouth is far less effective than approaching the situation from a different angle.

A suppository is a small, round or cone-shaped pill-like object filled with medicine. It is inserted into a patient’s rectum and left there where it rapidly dissolves and efficiently enters the bloodstream.

When filled with varying ratios of THC:CBD, a cannabis suppository can be a highly effective weapon against anything from everyday aches and pains to life threatening ailments.

We all know that concentrated cannabis oils can carry extremely high amounts of THC, or CBD, or a mixture of each. While CBD oil has dominated the medical marijuana landscape for years now, more and more science is backing up the notion that THC is still a vitally important compound for a wide variety of patients who may be considering using cannabis medicinally.

The problem for many users is that the extremely high doses of THC that are required to properly combat deadly diseases like cancer or epilepsy are often too much to handle when taken traditionally – usually in edible form.

A treatment protocol may call for a patient to take in a full gram of high potency RSO or cannabis oil each day. But many of those patients are stuck to the couch after a mere fraction of that amount.

This is especially true in pediatric cases when the patient is a child with a baseline tolerance for cannabis to begin with.

This is why suppositories play such a large role in medical marijuana.

Even though the cannabis suppository delivers the highest amount of medicinal benefit, it does so quickly and efficiently, without making the patient feel “high” at all.

When administered rectally, the medicine that is released enters the patient’s bloodstream immediately, bypassing the liver – unlike smoked, vaped, or orally ingested cannabis which filters through the liver on its way to the brain to provide the euphoric sensation typically associated with THC and cannabis in general.

That euphoric feeling is not only unnecessary for many patients, but it can be detrimental if it is unwelcome or unexpected.

That risk is alleviated with a dose-controlled cannabis suppository.

Other patients may be suffering from COPD, or respiratory ailments that prevent them from smoking or even vaping cannabis at all. Dietary concerns, lack of standards or accurate dosages, and other such reasons may cross edibles off of some patients’ lists. Suppositories can be a healthy alternative.

There are even recipes online for making your own cannabis suppositories at home if you’d like.

As with any health related issues, your best bet is to talk in open and honest terms with your doctor anytime you can. Cannabis can be an awkward talk with the doc, and adding your backside into the chat may also add to the anxiety, but the quality of your health and your life are worth it.