cannabis edibles

Marijuana-Edibles

3 Reasons Why You Should Eat Cannabis Edibles

The world of cannabis has near limitless room for innovation. Today, there are a myriad of ways that you can consume cannabis. The time-honoured and classic joint, new-age vaporization and even applied topically to the skin – there’s no limit to how you can enjoy your cannabis. However, one of the best, most effective and dare we say tastiest way to enjoy your cannabis through cannabis edibles.

Eating cannabis has been popular for both medicinal and recreational reasons for thousands of years, dating as far back as 1000 BC. With Canada’s second round of legalization now including cannabis edibles, there has never been a better time to treat yourself to a tasty dose of medicated wellness.

While it might take a bit longer to prepare than simply packing a bowl, preparing and using cannabis edibles is certainly worth it in the long term, especially if you’re already a regular consumer of cannabis.

Why should you eat cannabis edibles? Let’s get into it!

What Makes Eating Cannabis Edibles Different?

why eat cannabis ediblesWhen people eat their cannabis, they tend to notice that the experience is different in quite a few ways. The most commonly noted differences are:

  • Many people report that they experience more of a complete, holistic effect rather than a simple ‘body high’ or ‘head high,’ though this is certainly not the case for everyone.
  • The experience is going to be much longer and drawn-out than any other form of cannabis consumption, with the high lasting potentially many hours.
  • The experience tends to be much more intense, bordering on psychedelic. Some people report having full-blown ‘trips,’ when they eat edibles. This is partly due to the fact that edibles are metabolized differently, and partly due to the fact that they generally contain more THC than you would be able to easily smoke in a session.

Cannabis Edibles and Metabolism

Why are the effects of cannabis edibles so different from regular smoking and vaporization? The answer lies in how THC, the primary psychoactive compound found in the plant, is delivered throughout your body.  When you smoke marijuana, the THC is absorbed in your lungs and goes straight to your brain, enabling you to feel an effect almost instantly.

On the other hand, when you eat marijuana, the THC is first processed through your liver. During this process, it is converted to a much more powerful cannabinoid known as 11-hydroxy-THC – which has much more potent effects. It’s only once the THC has passed through your liver that it enters your blood and reaches your brain, and this is a good part of the reason that edibles get you so much higher.

Edibles Last a Long Time

cannabis edibles best practicesIt’s important to remember that edibles last a long time – up to 12 hours in some cases.

However, because edibles are processed by the liver before taking effect, they also need more time to take effect. This can cause problems for impatient first time users!

Many users take an edible for their first time, wait half an hour to an hour, and decide to re-dose when they’re not feeling anything. Most likely, however, their liver is still working on turning the cannabis into its trademark psychoactive high.

Sometimes people will eat cannabis edibles on an empty stomach or re-dose two or three times before the first dose even has a chance to activate. As a consequence, they generally get uncomfortably high. Due to the high concentration of THC in cannabis edibles, this can lead to a discomforting and overall bad experience and can turn many away from ever consuming cannabis edibles ever again.

Edibles Are Versatile

Just a decade ago, marijuana edibles weren’t nearly as common as they are now. It would be considered a treat to find some pot brownies or cookies made with cannabutter.

Nowadays, thanks to the legalization of marijuana, edibles are becoming more and more commonplace. From cannabis infused drinks and lollipops to medicated dishes and gummies, there has never been so much variety in the history of cannabis edibles.

You can find everything from cannabis oil hummus to granola bars to a whole range of marijuana concentrates you can eat as-is such as THC distillate and isolate. Peanut butter made with weed is also becoming quite common, as are other condiments and food additives so you can make all your meals pack a punch.

Cannabis Edibles – Tips for a Good Experience

cannabis edibles bestThere are a couple of things to keep in mind when you’re first starting to use edibles. We’ve already mentioned the importance of being cautious while you’re using them because of the sheer length of the experience. However, you’ll also want to keep the following in mind.

  • Try to find a trusted source for your edibles. You want to make sure that you find a high-quality source that only makes use of top-quality marijuana with good manufacturing standards.Find a source that offers third-party lab testing. Not only will this tell you exactly how much THC is in one dose of cannabis, it will also help filter out manufacturers with shady business practices that won’t disclose this kind of information.
  • Make sure that you’re in a safe and comfortable space with people that you trust the first couple times that you eat an edible.
  • After eating an edible, wait upwards of 2 hours for it to activate before consuming another dose. The time it takes to activate is dependent on a variety of factors including your metabolism, whether or not you’ve eaten that day and your own body’s physiology.
  • Make sure that you don’t leave any tasty-looking cannabis treats lying around where kids or non-cannabis users might find them and eat them.

Cannabis edibles are a fantastic way to consume marijuana. Eating marijuana makes it significantly more potent than simply smoking it, and the effects are known to last for longer. This means that marijuana edibles are a fantastic solution for both recreational and medicinal users, just remember these 4 takeaways and you’ll be well on your way towards a great experience!