12/04/2016
SMOKING YOUR MEDICINE VERSE EATING YOUR MEDICINE..
Typical plasma levels of THC after smoking Cannabis are 70-160 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml). Because THC is lipid-soluble, it rapidly leaves the bloodstream and goes into the fatty tissues of the body. When Cannabis is smoked or inhaled, only about 10-25% of THC is absorbed into the bloodstream from the lungs and about 1% of that reaches the brain rapidly. This is important because brain cells possess unique binding sites for cannabinoids called cannabinoid receptors. When cannabinoids bind to these receptors, they trigger the pharmacological effects such as pain mitigation, nausea suppression and appetite stimulation. After the patient stops ingesting Cannabis, plasma levels of THC typically decrease to less than 20 ng/ml within 30-45 minutes. Pharmacological activity peaks at about 20 minutes after inhalation and is gone within 3 hours. When ingested orally, the pharmacological effects of THC are delayed by 30-90 minutes, peak after 2-3 hours and last for 4-12 hours. Bioavailability by ingestion is affected by liver metabolism and varies greatly (4-12%)
