Although flower remains the most popular way to consume weed, marijuana-infused products are quickly growing in popularity. Many people are turning to marijuana-infused food and drinks because they think that consuming weed is healthier than smoking it. This might be somewhat true, but there are also risks associated with edibles. To minimize risks, it helps to have a good understanding of the similarities and differences between edibles and smoking.
What are Cannabis Edibles?
Cannabis edibles are marijuana-infused food products. They take many different forms, ranging from candies and chocolates to mints and even ice cream. Weed-infused beverages are also edibles because our body processes them in the same way. THC is the main mind-altering chemical in the cannabis plant and is the active ingredient in an edible. However, some edible makers use whole plant cannabis extract in their products which contain other chemicals like terpenes, flavonoids and CBD.
What is the Right Edibles Dosage?
When eaten, THC is processed by the liver before ending up in the bloodstream and brain. The biggest factors in an edible experience are way your liver processes drugs; whether THC is consumed with other fats or meal; and your THC tolerance level. Because of individual differences in these factors, it has been hard to determine a single recommended THC dose. There are medications that are taken on basis of body weight but this is not the case with edibles. Recently, experts proposed 5 milligrams as the THC dosing standard.
How Long do Edibles Last?
When eating an edible, expect the effects to last from 6 to 12 hour. The length of the experience depends on several factors, including your genetic makeup; meal timing which is relative to when you consumed the cannabis edible; lifestyle and diet which can change the endocannabinoid system.
Benefits of Smoking Cannabis
Compared to weed edibles, there are two crucial benefits of smoking marijuana: the immediate onset and short duration of effects. By vaporizing or smoking cannabis, you will feel the effects almost instantly. Within a few minutes after taking one inhalation, it is easy to tell if you have had enough. On the other hand, with edibles, you need to wait to a couple of hours to completely feel the peak effects before you can take more. The effects of smoked cannabis lasts for 2 to 3 hours while edibles can last for up 12 hours.
Edible High versus Smoking High
The effects on the body and mind of smoked marijuana and edibles are almost the same. Patients and consumers report using marijuana to relieve stress, reduce anger, relax and improve health symptoms like pain. Cannabis is commonly used to improve mood, but it can impair driving and thinking, whether it is eaten or smoked. The biggest difference of these two is the overall experience. Smoking is similar to taking the fastest elevator in the world, while edibles are the same as taking an escalator.
Edibles offer the benefit of not exposing the user to its cancer-causing chemicals produced by burning plant matter. Still, it is easier to overindulge with edibles and get a bad experience. Also, the effects of edibles last longer, so the method you pick depends on your lifestyle and daily routine.