This Technology Makes Cannabis More Accessible to People With Disabilities

Cannabis is slowly becoming legal across the country and may even become legal at the federal level in the foreseeable future. It’s also being talked about openly more than ever, even on widely watched sitcoms like Abbott Elementary .

Research into its benefits is also finally gaining momentum, with more reasons to try cannabis for chronic pain , anxiety, or even potentially to improve sleep . Many people suffer from a wide range of physical and mental injuries and ailments, both temporary and permanent, and people dealing with them often need more tools and treatments for sleep, pain and mental health – and cannabis may be one of them. (As popular as cannabis is for recreational purposes, before adding any substances or medications to your treatment plan, talk to your doctor in case there are situations in which you should not use it, such as drug interactions prescription drugs.)

If you’re considering using cannabis for the first time and want to try it for pain relief or other disability-related purposes, it’s best to start slowly. I spoke with author Dr. Peter Grinspoon , MD, a physician and cannabis specialist, to get some top tips to follow.

How to add cannabis to disability treatment

“[It’s important] to start small and go slow, since cannabis can worsen already limited mobility,” says Grinspoon, who advocates for cannabis in general and especially its wider study in a medical context. “I’m currently recovering from a broken leg, so I know!”

The Smoking Flower may not be available to you for various reasons, and that’s okay. Edible cannabis usually allows for precise doses, both macro and micro. And while smoking and vaping also deliver small or large doses, albeit in a less precise and controlled manner, they act much more quickly on oral tissue.

Doctors will never directly tell patients to smoke marijuana, and rightfully so ; Burning is just one way to consume it. Unfortunately, people still rely on this method for good reason: it works faster than any other consumption method . Until we unravel the science of how cannabis works in the body, especially when smoked, we don’t know why smoking and vaping cannabis works faster than other vehicles.

“For fast-acting cannabis, seltzer drinks work well,” says Grinspoon. “Same as smoking, but we don’t recommend it.”

New scientific evidence has emerged that suggests some forms of vaping, mostly concentrates in pre-filled cartridges, may be no better for you than smoking. But the truth is that if your pain is severe or comes on suddenly, smoking or vaping are sometimes preferable options. It all depends on what fits your lifestyle, balanced with your health needs and your doctor’s recommendations.

If quick action is needed, Grinspoon says, “use a dry herb vaporizer—it’s safer, [and] heats the flower to a lower temperature so [the user] can extract the cannabinoids.”

Safe cannabis use, especially for those with health concerns, also means that it is free of additives and contaminants and that THC and other cannabinoids are clearly measured. This means that legal, government-sanctioned stores are your best bet; Delta-8 and delta-9 hemp-derived products do not have the same testing requirements. According to Grinspoon, “It’s [always] safer to buy legally, although this can be difficult in some places.”

Unfortunately, the growing adult-use cannabis industry means that most forms of legal cannabis on the market today are in hard-to-open packaging due to (necessary) child protection laws, meaning that if you have a physical disability e.g. in your hands, you may have difficulties. opening them independently or without pain. And if you’re dealing with flowers, essential tools like rolling paper can also be difficult to use.

If you are looking to make cannabis use more accessible, I suggest the following products that may help people with chronic pain or mobility issues, or those who otherwise find it difficult to use cannabis.

The Best Cannabis Technology for People with Disabilities

Grinders that don’t grind joints

A key part of the cannabis smoking process is often the grinder, which is used to prepare dried flower for vaping or rolling. Most hand sanders use a rotating motion, which can be a problem for people with hand and wrist pain or mobility issues. If you’re dealing with this, try one of these alternatives:

• The aptly named BudWakker uses the same tension cord as a weed grinder, making it a good alternative to the rotating motion of most hand-held grinders.

• The Otto Grinder Electric Coffee Grinder fills cones and grinds herbal toppings in one device. Load, grind and go, and don’t stress your wrists by spinning an old-fashioned tube sander .

• This electric grinder from Mamba also offers a one-step cone filling method, but with a slightly different orientation than the Otto.

• This countertop coffee grinder from Wakit is a good option if you prefer a device that doesn’t require you to hold it in your hands.

Storage containers that rotate neatly

So you’ve opened the package and were able to grind up your marijuana, but where are you going to store it? These containers have easy opening mechanisms to keep your items fresh.

• Staze Fresh has a child-resistant edge, but is still easy to hold and open, and the soft pastel appearance is more aesthetically pleasing than a regular weed jar. You deserve things that are beautiful and functional.

• These snap containers from Everlock seal and store cannabis very well, and the soft snaps on top make it easy to open. They’re not childproof, but they’re good if you don’t want to feel like you’re opening a jar of pickles every time you need to roll it.

Electric devices make dabbing or the humble bowl safer.

Dabbing is well known in the medical cannabis community, but to the layman, a dab is a concentrated ball of cannabis extract that is dropped over a heat source and inhaled. Before the advent of special dab devices, torches, glass, and metal tools were used to apply dab techniques, which are not ideal for those with tremors, decreased grip strength, or hand pain. The rub is strong, fast-acting, and sometimes intoxicating, so it’s not for everyone, but if you’re in pain, it’s an option.

No matter what, you want your consumption methods to be safe, which means flammable methods using fire and torches can be risky if you have hand or mobility problems and are home alone or live alone. There are electrical workarounds with safer silicone parts, so you can take some peace of mind from the fear of broken glass or handling hot tools when you’re working with less dexterity or strength.

• PuffCo’s ingenious Hot Knife eliminates mixture maneuvering: When you load the knife and press a button, the concentrate hits the heat source without you having to fiddle with a metal tool to scrape it into the bowl. and you won’t have to clean it afterwards.

• Wary dabbers can toss their pellets into the PuffCo Proxy , which is coated in silicone and even has a silicone travel sleeve so you don’t have to lug hot, dangerous glass around your dig sites. It heats up quickly, is well made, and parts are easy to change or replace, making it one of the most convenient and safe dab products on the market—and I’ve tried (and crashed) a lot of them.

• One of the first portable vape companies, Pax, offers the versatile and glassless Pax Plus, ready to load whatever you like, flower or concentrate. The heat stays inside the device, and it has a wider hand grip than most vapes, so you won’t have to grip it with your hand as tightly as the slim 510 vape.

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