If you follow our cannabis blog, you’re probably up to date on all the new and cutting-edge ways to consume cannabis as medicine: oral solutions, tablets, edibles, and soft gels, just for a start.
In fact, if you didn’t know better, you might imagine that good old cannabis flower—also often called “bud”—has gone by the wayside. In that case, let us reassure you: That couldn’t be further from the truth. For many of us, consuming cannabis flower by smoking or vaporizing it is still the most familiar and fastest-acting way to access the health benefits of this all-natural plant medicine.
To make things even more convenient and accessible, you can now get pre-ground cannabis that is ready to be added to a joint, pipe or plant-based vaporizer.
What Is Ground Flower? The Rundown
Pre-ground (or simply ground) flower is cured cannabis that’s been mechanically ground for smooth, even combustion. In states in which all forms of cannabis are legal, pre-ground flower—sometimes also known as “shake”—is used to make pre-rolled joints.
In states or jurisdictions with more restrictive laws on smoking cannabis, ground flower can also be packaged in a specialized container (or “pod”) designed for use in vaporizers. Vaporizers, of course, are high-tech devices designed to heat ground cannabis flower (or cannabis concentrate) to the point at which the cannabinoids and terpenes are vaporized but before they actually combust.
Offering all the variety and complex aromatic profiles of the best cannabis strains, pre-ground flower is a simple way to access whole-plant medicine in a safe, effective, and convenient way. With ground flower, patients in no-smoking states can enjoy the goodness of whole-plant products in its natural state with no additives (and with the original cannabinoids and terpenes present for maximum benefit).
The Advantages of Pre-Ground Flower
Ground flower is easy to use, convenient, and portable. Buying ground flower is a great way to skip the step of grinding the flower yourself, which can sometimes be messy, laborious, or wasteful. Use it to fill your pipe, roll your own joints, or stock your own collection of strains for use in your purpose-made flower vaporizer.
How to Use Pre-Ground Flower in Vapes, Joints, Bowls, Bongs & Pipes
There’s no great mystery as to how to use ground flower. If you’re using it on its own, simply roll it in a joint or fill the bowl of your bong or pipe with it. You’ll most likely find it’s less wasteful and messy than trying to grind your own. When using pre-ground flower in a bong or pipe, adding a screen will prevent the fine ground flower from passing through and to prevent clogging.
If, on the other hand, you’re using a ground flower pod in a purpose-made device, the process is slightly different, though it’s not particularly challenging.
Simply insert the ground flower pod into a tabletop vaporizer or purpose-made pod-style handheld vape. Some units will automatically initiate the heating process when you begin drawing in air, while others require you to press a “heating” button first. Either way, we advise you to draw slowly and gently: Imagine you’re sipping a hot cup of tea.
The first few times you use one of our ground flower pods, we suggest you draw in less than you normally might with inhaled cannabis until you are able to titrate your dosage. Start with a low dose and work your way up until you find your ideal inhalation time and THC:CBD ratio.
How to Dose Cannabis Flower
As with whole flower or any other cannabis product, the question “how much is the right amount?” is an important one. As we’ve explored previously, many of us actually derive greater benefits from smaller amounts of cannabis.
When you buy ground flower from a licensed dispensary like Green Goods, you can see the THC content of the flower you’ve purchased and use that to calculate the total number of milligrams of THC in your package of ground flower. Then, you can portion it out as needed.
In theory, the potency of pre-ground flower and whole flower shouldn’t be markedly different. That said, especially when you’re just starting out, it’s best to take it slow. Because the grind tends to be finer and more regular than home-ground cannabis, you may find it delivers a higher potency per hit. Remember: You can always smoke more flower, but you can’t smoke less!
Get Your Ground Flower With Green Goods
We hope today’s post gets you started (or restarted!) on the right track towards accessing the benefits of cannabis in this simple and time-honored way. If you have any other questions about using ground flower, pre-ground cannabis pods (or any other cannabis-related topics), we’re here for you. Reach out anytime. We’d love to help.
If you’re looking for ground flower in Maryland or Minnesota, check out the Green Goods location nearest you or shop online for a wide selection of cannabis flower, cannabis edibles, and other products available today!
