Eating cannabis edibles as a beginner can often be an exciting yet overwhelming experience. While smoking or vaping tends to offer a fairly level playing field, eating cannabis edibles is a whole other beast. This is because there are far more daunting variables at play. Perhaps you’ve heard a horror story about someone eating a pot brownie, getting far too stoned, and ending up in some sort of existential crisis. There is a fine art to eating edibles for the first time, you just might not know it at the right time.

The team at Cannadish does not want this to happen to you.

When done right, edibles can be a fantastic way to achieve your desireable cannabis effects. Read on for our ultimate guide to eating cannabis edibles for the very first time.

How Edibles Are Made

You can craft cannabis food and beverages using two different methods. No, it’s not as simple as tossing some bud into your Caesar salad or brownie mix. You need to create cannabis-infused butter or oil. This is done by cooking raw cannabis flower at low temperatures for 45 minutes. Then you heat the cannabis is cooking oil for several hours. During this time, the active ingredients in the flower bind to the fats in the oil or butter. You will separate the spent plant material and use the resulting liquid in recipes as normal.

The other way to infuse edibles is via THC or CBD distillate. This is a concentrate of the active ingredient(s) in cannabis. Distillates are cannabinoid isolates that do not contain a “full spectrum” of terpenes and other active compounds commonly found in marijuana. THC distillate has become an increasingly popular ingredient in edibles as they are basically flavorless, allowing culinary masters to create complex recipes free from any lingering weed aromas.

Why Do People Eat Edibles?

Aside from being delicious, eating cannabis edibles is a great option for a variety of reasons. Folks who do not wish to inhale marijuana smoke or vapor find edibles to be an efficient alternative. Infused foods and drinks also tend to have longer lasting effects. This is because weed edibles enter the bloodstream via the liver as opposed to the lungs. Edibles are also more discreet than firing up a doobie. In fact, dosing may be as simple as popping a 2.5mg mint in place of your traditional after dinner Altoid!

How Do Edibles Work?

We will reiterate, the human body uptakes cannabinoids via the digestive tract and liver. During this time, enzymes convert THC to 11-hydroxy-THC, a more potent varietal that is responsible the high intensity of edibles. While breathing in cannabis smoke or vapor leads to the onset of effects in moments, infused food and drink can take anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours depending on your metabolism. 

Start low and go slow while eating cannabis edibles.

Knowing that eating cannabis edibles can take a while to kick in, it’s important to keep the old adage, “Start low, go slow” in the back of your mind. Most cannabis edibles on the market are 10mg doses. However, weed newbies should stick with 5mg or less. Take another dose only if there are no psychoactive effects after 90 minutes. And again, metabolism makes a big difference in how fast edibles will kick in. Thusly, people with slower metabolic outputs will want to wait longer to eat more than those with fast systems.

Sativa vs Indica, is it a debate?

The cultivar of cannabis (aka strain) used in the edible definitely matters when it comes to how they will make you feel. Sativas tend to offer a more euphoric and uplifting experience than an indica. Commonly you will hear indica’s nickname, “in-da-couch”. This is due to its relaxing and sedative effects. Hybrids bring together the best of both worlds and are the most common cultivars on the market.

Edible creators are starting to offer “experience specific” products. This differentiates from strain specific labelling. A cookie may be called “Energize” versus listing a Sativa-dominant strain like Lemon Haze.

This is what to expect if you take too much.

It is impossible to literally overdose on cannabis, but getting way too high off edibles is a thing. If you find yourself in an uncomfortable state due to over-consumption, there are steps you can take to ease the tension. 

Making cannabis-infused snacks and meals at home has a history as old as the plant itself, but 21st century technology along with marijuana legalization has made it easier than ever. Plus, the wider availability of unique cultivars and lesser-known cannabinoids (such as THC-A, CBG, and CBN) means that anyone can create the perfect cannabis experience right from the comfort of your abode.

Check out Cannadish’s complete guide to cooking with cannabis for more!

Stay Safe, Have Fun!

Cannabis edibles are an easy and discreet way to consume cannabis, offering a different type of buzz than an old-fashioned joint or bong rip. Understanding the way they work, how to properly dose, and what to do if things get out of hand will ensure an enjoyable experience from the get-go. Now bust out that THC-infused rice krispy treat or lemonade and have a blast!