Using medical marijuana is most difficult when it comes to dosing properly.

What Different Types of Medical Marijuana Can I Get?

Medical marijuana literally comes in all sorts of different shapes, forms, colors, and styles.

If you want to choose an exact strain responsibly,go buy a quality vaporizerand skip the joints.

Marijuana products also come in the form of topical waxes, food, and drinks.

Lets discuss your seriously insane number of options.

Unlike smoking, you donotneed to hold the vapor in your mouth.

With some easy math youll find that you probably got between 1.5mg and 3mg per hit.

Vaporizing/vaping offers the advantage of a quick onset of effects (5-30 minutes) and easy and accurate dosing.

Still, I prefer sprays because they are very portable, discreet, and simple.

Despite how much I prefer edibles, they take longer than anything else to work.

Most people find the intensity of edibles to be much greater than any other form of marijuana.

In my case, edibles provided more pain relief long after the high went away.

Smaller doses also tend to be more effective, which is in turn more cost effective.

Finally, edibles dont always provide a consistent experience.

Many edibles get it wrong, either providing more or less than advertised.

They often look like vitamin E supplements and are pretty discreet.

They work similarly to edibles in that they take time to work.

Additionally, pills usually cost much more than their edible equivalents.

On the upside, the amount of medicine in each pill tends to be more accurate.

Topical wax is a balm that you rub on your skin.

You would consider using topical wax or other marijuana balms if you have pain in a specific area.

It takes around an hour to work and it smells strongly likeyou guessed itmarijuana.

If the topical wax contains THC, it will still get you high.

While edibles worked best for me, something else might work best for you.

The only way youll ever know for sure is to try your options, and try them multiple times.

Different edibles, vaporizer cartridges, sprays, and tinctures work differently than their counterparts.

Just see to it you dont have anywhere to be for the next 4-16 hours.

How Do I Actually Go Buy Medical Marijuana?

At the time of this writing, that includes Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington.

Every state has different rules and regulations as well as implementations of those rules and regulations.

That said, they need to follow the rules andwill notdiagnose you with a condition.

after you grab a medical marijuana card you’re free to immediately visit a dispensary and shop.

They need to keep a copy of it on file.

Thats because you cant actually just buy marijuana from someone who produces it.

Instead, youre enjoying the free work product of a collective to which you (will) belong.

It can be web design or fertilizer research.

No one really cares, but its always good to be up-front about it.

Certain donations warrant gifts.

Those gifts are medical marijuana.

So instead of buying marijuana, youre donating money and getting marijuana as a gift.

Furthermore, even if you tell them you have no tolerance theyll suggest a dose thats too high.

Youll often get a few free treats.

Youll save at least 10% every time you go.

Congratulations, you now have medical marijuana!

Some edibles require refrigeration.

Some last forever, and some expire.

Some products require specific temperatures (usually room temperature).

They wont tell you, so confirm you do ask how to store your products and when/if they expire.

Adam Dachisis a Los Angeles-based writer and consultant.

Youll find him writing and making stuff over atAwkward Human, including his podcast theAwkward Human Survival Guide.