When you and your doctor start talking about medical marijuana, you may think that you are going to end up on some seedy corner buying a joint that you are going to go home to hide and smoke with no one knowing about it. However, that could not be any further from the truth. You are actually going to go to a dispensary or work with a provider so you can get your marijuana products, and you don't necessarily have to smoke a joint to get the effects from marijuana. There are plenty of other products that you can take advantage of.

Salve

One product that you can take advantage of is a salve or cream that is made with marijuana. Salves and creams are for topical uses, That means that you can rub them right into the area where you are needing some relief. For example, if you have severe and painful arthritis in your knees or your hands, you can rub the salve or cream into your knees or your fingers. You get the painkilling effects of the marijuama, but you don't have to smoke it. There are a lot of benefits to doing it this way. One is that you aren't going to have to worry about being "high", since it won't get going into your system that way. Another benefit is that they tend to give longer laster affects than a joint and you can use them during the day without anyone realizing what you are using. 

Tinctures

A tincture is a concentrated liquid form of things like teas or marijuana. You can use a tincture to get the same pain relief or help for your mental health that you would if you were going to smoke a joint. Instead of smoking it, you can just put a few drops under your tongue or put it in a small amount of water or juice and swallow it right down. It will take a little longer to feel the effects you are looking for when you medicate, which means that you will have to take your normal dosage and then wait to see if it takes affect before you try anything else. The benefit is that you aren't going to go around smelling like you were behind your high school gym toking up with your buddies, since you are ingesting it instead of smoking it. 

If you and your doctor think that medical marijuana can help you, you don't have to go out and smoke a joint, there are other products you can use.