MySql can't decide between LIKE and MATCH for text search

I am building an application in Laravel. And I can't decide to go with Match() or Like for text searching.

I only want to do a text search on one column, that is a Varchar(42).

I will also filter out the query by some Where() statements, so it will not do a text search on all rows.

I am using mysql 5.6+ so Match works with my innobd engine.

1. Does Match() do good in a table that has about 30k rows?

2. Laravel ORM doesnt support match so my query looks like this:

   $q = Input::get('query');
   Post::whereRaw("MATCH(title) AGAINST(? IN BOOLEAN MODE)", array($q))->get();
   

Do I need to sanitize the "$q" in order to be safe from SQL injections? Since I'm using whereRaw()