Ware agrees that doctors should try pharmaceutical cannabinoids before prescribing herbal marijuana, particularly if a doctor is relatively inexperienced with prescribing marijuana. But he does note that inhaled herbal marijuana may still have an important role to play for some patients. “Because inhaled marijuana is absorbed through the lungs, rather than the stomach, it can take effect much faster and may have a more powerful – though shorter term – effect on pain,” he says. Ware likens the difference to short-acting versus long-acting opioids, though he can you buy marijuana in canada notes more head-to-head trials of inhaled herbal marijuana versus pharmaceutical cannabinoids are needed in order to better understand their respective clinical indications. People under 25, individuals who have had a substance use disorder, and those who use THC frequently are at a higher risk of developing a cannabis use disorder (cannabis addiction).