How To Use Medicinal Cannabis

Cannabis flower

The smoking of medicinal cannabis is explicitly prohibited by the Misuse of Drugs laws of Jersey, Guernsey and the United Kingdom.

Instead, medicinal cannabis flower must be vaped in accordance with your prescription instructions using a dry herb vaporiser, which you will need to purchase separately.

There is a wide range of portable and desktop vaporisers now available on the market from both online and high street retailers. We recommend that you spend some time researching what device best suits your budget and requirements.

Vaporising cannabis can seem daunting at first but by following our instructions below, we hope that you’ll quickly grow accustomed to the process.

1. Prepare your cannabis flower

Firstly, the cannabis flower needs to be prepared for use in your dry herb vaporiser.

This entails breaking up the dried flower buds to a fine consistency in order to increase the surface area and ensure optimal vaporisation.

Cannabis flower can be broken up by hand, by using scissors or a knife and chopping board, or by using a herb grinder.

We recommend using a herb grinder that does not contain a sieve so that all parts of the cannabis flower are present for consistent dosing.

It is best to only prepare as much of the cannabis flower as you need at the time to avoid degradation of the terpenes, cannabinoids and other beneficial compounds.

Ideally, any stalks should be removed and discarded as they may affect the taste of the vaporised flower.

Although rare, it is possible that you may encounter seeds in your medicinal cannabis, which should also be discarded.

2. Prepare your vaporiser

Once you have prepared your medicinal cannabis flower, you are ready to load your vaporiser.

If you have recently used your vaporiser, wait a few minutes for it to cool down before setting up your next dose.

Using digital weighing scales, weigh a dose of your prepared flower as prescribed by your consultant.

Open your vaporiser to access the heating chamber. Discard any previously vaped material and fill the heating chamber with your dose of cannabis flower before closing your device.

Dosing capsules are available for many devices, enabling patients to conveniently prepare a number of doses for use during the day.

Do not compact the prepared flower in the vaporiser's heating chamber/dosing capsules as this will restrict the airflow and prevent effective vaporisation.

3. Using your vaporiser

The majority of vaporisers on the market provide temperature controls, allowing you to modulate the temperature at which your vaporiser operates.

Cannabis contains a multitude of cannabinoids, terpenes and other compounds that each have their own effects and flavours and vaporise at different temperatures.

The temperature at which you choose to vaporise your medicinal cannabis flower is entirely down to your personal preference and what you find works best for you and your condition.

We suggest starting at a temperature of 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit) and increasing the temperature in 5/10 degree increments.

Once your vaporiser has reached your desired temperature, take a series of inhalations as required.

After a number of inhalations at a specific temperature, the flavour of the vapour will likely change as the beneficial compounds are vaporised. At this point, you can increase the temperature to continue vaporising your medicinal cannabis flower.

The cannabis flower will turn brown in colour when you have vaporised all of the beneficial compounds from the medicine.

Approximate boiling points of the major cannabinoids and terpenes are as follows:

Do not exceed a temperature of 233 degrees Celsius (451 degrees Fahrenheit) as this is the point at which the cannabis flower will begin to combust.

Cannabis oil

Cannabis oils are concentrated extracts produced from the flowers of the female cannabis plant, which are mixed with a carrier oil such as MCT oil or hempseed oil.

Cannabis oils are administered sublingually with an oil dropper so that the beneficial compounds are absorbed into the bloodstream through the soft tissue under the tongue.

1. Measuring your dose

Most prescribed medicinal cannabis oils include a graduated dropper for accurate dosing. 

Should your oil not include a graduated dropper, you can instead count the number of drops to reach your required dose. One drop equates to approximately 0.05ml of oil, so if for example your prescribed dosage is 0.2ml, you will need 4 drops (4 x 0.05 = 0.2).

2. Administering your dose

Once you have prepared your oil dropper with your required dose, open your mouth, lift your tongue and release the oil from the dropper under your tongue.

Hold the oil under your tongue for at least 60 seconds to allow the beneficial compounds in the oil to be absorbed into the bloodstream before swallowing.

Soft gel capsules

Medical cannabis softgel capsules are one of the most convenient forms of cannabis based medicinal products, providing easy and consistent dosing.

Cannabis capsules contain extracts from the female cannabis flower mixed with a carrier oil, which are swallowed and absorbed through the stomach.

As with any other pill or capsule, simply swallow the capsules as prescribed, with or without water based on your personal preference.

Storing your medicinal cannabis

The compounds in medicinal cannabis are volatile and can degrade in the presence of direct sunlight and high/variable temperature and humidity.

As with any controlled medicine, CBPMs should be stored in a secure location out of sight and reach of children.

In order to ensure the stability of your cannabis based medicinal products, follow the acronym CHAD:

Cool place

Medical cannabis products should be stored at a consistent temperature at or below 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit).

We advise that you do not refrigerate your cannabis as this will subject it to fluctuations in temperature when removing/returning your CBPM to the fridge.

Humidity

Medicinal cannabis flower should ideally be stored at a consistent humidity of around 60% to ensure that it maintains its quality and effectiveness.

The relative humidity inside your medicinal cannabis flower containers can be regulated using reusable humidity packs, which are available from online and high street retailers.

Airtight

In order to ensure optimal conditions for the storage of your medicinal cannabis products, containers should be kept airtight to avoid degradation of your medicine.

Darkness

Sunlight can lead to the deterioration of the cannabinoids and terpenes present in cannabis products. CBPMs should therefore be kept out of direct sunlight and stored in a dark place where possible.