Marijuana Edibles: A Better Option Than Smoking Weed During The COVID-19 Pandemic?

By The Fresh Toast's Maria Loreto, Provided exclusively to Benzinga Cannabis.

The coronavirus should make us all think twice before smoking, whether it’s tobacco or weed. Luckily for everyone, edibles can be easily purchased or made at home.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, one that’s transmitted when in close contact with infected people. Now that most of us are spending our time in self-quarantine, how can we protect ourselves aside from constant and annoying hand-washing?

One thing most experts agree on is that smoking is not a good idea at the moment, even if what you’re smoking is marijuana. The better your lungs are, the more likely it is for you to prevent complications should you come in contact with COVID-19. This also applies to people who vape.

If you vape, “you’re going to make lungs more vulnerable to severe infection,” according to Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos via WebMD.

Data gathered from COVID-19 patients in China found that infected people who were smokers or who lived in areas with high pollution were more likely to experience severe symptoms when compared to others with healthy lungs. This risk of smoking or vaping is made worse when people are over the age of 60 or when they have an underlying condition, such as asthma or another respiratory illnesses.

Photo by Katerina Smirnova via Unsplash

Still, despite the bad news, there’s no need to panic. We live in a time where there are a variety of cannabis products at our disposal, ranging from edibles to tinctures to dermal patches.

Not only are these alternatives to smoking easy to obtain, they’re safer to share.

“As long as cultures have consumed cannabis, the practice of sharing a joint among friends has been a common social practice,” NORML executive director Erik Altieri wrote in a blog post. “But given what we know about COVID-19 and its transmission, it would be mindful during this time to halt this behavior.”

Dispensaries in large cities or states where there’s legal cannabis should be stocked up on a variety of items that don’t have to be smoked. Even if you have a large stash of flower at home that you panic-purchased, you can try cooking or baking something delicious with it, while passing the hours and taking care of your body.

Noticias sobre cannabis en Español en El Planteo.

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