They’re discreet, convenient and delicious. Plus, you can find them in all your favorite forms, including gummy bears, truffles, suckers, cereal bars, macaroons, jerky, cookies, chocolate bars and much more.
Unlike smoking, which takes seconds or minutes to hit your bloodstream, edibles must first be digested in the stomach and processed by the liver. So, you’ll see a delayed arrival of effects – about 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. This will vary according to the individual and how each person’s body processes things. For example, if you have a higher metabolism, you’ll likely feel a change sooner than someone who took the same dose but has a lower metabolism. You’ll then have around 3-6 hours to enjoy the effects.
Some edibles, such as suckers and lozenges, typically kick in faster because they fall into the sublingual category and are absorbed into your bloodstream through the tissues in your mouth.
If you’re new to edibles, take it slow and be patient waiting for the party to start. While a typical dose is 10 mg of THC, you may want to start at 2.5 to 5 mg and see how you respond. Because edibles are made using oil, butter or cannabis distillate, all of which contain highly-concentrated amounts of cannabinoids, they can pack a serious punch in just one tiny square of chocolate.
And whether you’re a novice or expert, you’ll also want to skip mixing your cannabis intake with booze which can produce unwanted and unpleasant effects. Consider having some CBD-heavy flower available to smoke just in case things go sideways. This cannabinoid can help lessen the effects of too much THC.
This method of consumption removes the flower and gets down to business, separating out the terpene and cannabinoid-filled resin located in the trichomes, those little hair-like growths on the flower that look a bit like a crystal frost. The extraction process delivers a final product that contains concentrated amounts of THC and CBD (and a host of other cannabinoids that will be listed on the product label). While THC potency in flower might be 15-20%, this stuff can reach up to 90%.
Thus, concentrates are not typically advised for novice consumers. Consider yourself warned, and if you choose to proceed, just take it slow.
If you’re looking for powerful effects that you’ll feel almost immediately, a concentrate can provide the experience you’re seeking. It’s great for vaporizing instead of smoking flower and provides instant relief if you’re consuming it for a medical condition. Looking for taste? Concentrates with more terpenes offer a deeper, clean flavor to meet the expectations of any aficionado.
In this category, you’ll find lotions, ointments, balms, oils, salves, creams and even transdermal patches that provide various therapeutic benefits. Applied directly to the skin, topicals provide localized relief for aching muscles and reduce inflammation without the psychoactive high produced by other methods of cannabis consumption such as smoking.
Transdermals provide the same relief as topicals, but the cannabinoids will enter your bloodstream. It’s important to know the difference between a topical and a transdermal in case you are drug-tested.
Like edibles, drinking your cannabis is much more stealth than smoking and doesn’t require any extra equipment like a bong or dab rig. This form of consumption is still ramping up as companies explore different ways to infuse beverages while providing consistent dosing and delicious flavors. However, cannabis drinks are a trending market with big players like Molson Coors and Anheuser-Busch getting into the game to bring you a refreshing brew that replaces booze with THC.
For now, there are quite a few options available, typically in the form of sodas, fruit drinks, tea packets, bottled coffee, even kombucha. Many people gravitate to drinks over other edibles because they tend to deliver full effects in around 15 minutes. Any cannabinoids they contain, whether THC or CBD, are somewhat sublingually absorbed while drinking, then digested faster versus a dense chocolate truffle.
The concept of “tinctures” is certainly not new, but today’s cannabis tinctures offer a very modern and effective method of consumption. Taken sublingually by placing drops under your tongue, cannabinoids and terpenes are absorbed into your bloodstream directly. It’s quick, discreet and convenient, no smoke and no long waiting period like edibles. You will also have better control of dosages with most products clearly displaying how much CBD and/or THC you’ll get from various levels of liquid in the dropper.
