Cannabis tincture provides an alternative way for people looking to ease into the use of cannabis.

The alcoholic extract of cannabis, known as Green Dragon, offers yet another way to experience marijuana without smoking it. The concoction is the latest in a growing number of edible – or in this case drinkable – marijuana choices.

Some feel the effects of a tincture hit you faster than a marijuana edible. Others find it a great way to move away from smoking marijuana and into edibles. The venerable marijuana magazine High Times even dedicated a two-minute video to how to make it (using a Magic Butter machine).

For those who associate marijuana with smoking, cannabis tincture might sound confusing. The following looks at how the drink is made.

How Cannabis Tincture Is Made

A cannabis tincture can be made using both alcoholic and non-alcoholic mixtures.

The most widely used method involves soaking dry marijuana leaves in grain alcohol. The active ingredients in marijuana infuse the alcohol, creating a drink that offers the buzz of marijuana coupled with that of alcohol.

In practice, creating a cannabis tincture involves either a special heated mixer (such as the Magic Butter mentioned above) or baking the marijuana in an oven before mixing it with alcohol in a sealed container.

Once mixed, experts typically call for letting the mixture sit for at least about a week. Others advise as long as a month, depending on how much you made.

After that time period, you pour the tincture through a strainer to get rid of any plant particles.

Marijuana enthusiasts used to make cannabis tincture in the United States until about 1942, according to a report from Australia about the history of cannabis.

Most people use alcohol to create a cannabis tincture because alcohol works very well in extracting the active ingredients from the marijuana plant. However, others may prefer avoiding alcohol consumption.

For them, glycerin provides a non-alcoholic option. However, the mixtures does not provide the potency of the alcohol version.

Why People Prefer Cannabis Tincture

The edible marijuana industry continues to grow as many people prefer not dealing with the smoke or paraphernalia needed to burn and inhale marijuana.

Some believe a cannabis tincture works faster on the body than other edibles. A tincture also provides an alternative to marijuana tea, another popular method of enjoying cannabis without smoking it.

Some athletes also believe a tincture can help with performance. Two-time cancer survivor Gaynell Rogers told Forbes she drinks a cannabis tincture before her workouts because it helps her focus and work harder. She noted she does not use a psychoactive cannabis.

Jim McAlpine created the “420 Games” for athletes who use cannabis. The games happen every year in Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. While not directly endorsing the use of tincture, McAlpine told Forbes he recommends edibles or a vaporizer over “smoking flower.”

Clearly, edibles such as cannabis tincture should grow in popularity as marijuana use increases in the states where voters have made it legal for use. While smoking marijuana remains a popular choice, edibles make partaking of cannabis easier and more attractive for many.