How Do Edibles Affect You?

Edibles take longer to act and last much longer than other forms of ingesting THC, such as smoking or vaping. While smoking or vaping can produce effects almost instantly, it might take upwards of one or two hours after eating an edible to feel high, and the high usually lasts from four to six hours. Edibles are also considered to be more potent than other forms of marijuana because of the way they are metabolized.

THC is absorbed by the body at a different rate depending on the method through which it is administered. When you eat an edible, it must be processed by your liver before it can cause a high. Depending on your metabolism rate, this may take an hour or two. The liver will filter out most of the THC — up to ninety per cent of it, in fact. Smoking delivers closer to fifty or sixty per cent of the THC to your bloodstream. Though the liver filters most of the THC out of your system, the metabolic process makes the effects of cannabis stronger than usual. The liver converts THC into 11-hydroxy-THC, which crosses more easily from the bloodstream to the brain. That is thought to produce a more intense, or even psychedelic, high.

Edibles are certainly considered to be more potent than joints or bong hits, but that may be in part because it is so difficult to control the dose of an edible. There are, of course, no federal regulations on illegal marijuana products, so it is difficult to know just how much THC is in the edible you’re buying. Some products may vary batch by batch. Keep in mind that what seems like one serving of an edible (a single cookie or brownie, for example,) might contain several doses of THC. Edibles are usually made with concentrated cannabis products like hash oil or cannabis-infused butter, which makes them especially potent. A standard dose of THC is around 10 milligrams, but that much in an edible may be far too much for the casual consumer. It is always best to start slow when trying a new method of ingesting marijuana.

Another way that edibles affect you differently is the total absence of smoke. Scientists agree that smoking is bad for you, no matter what the substance. Edibles are a great way to administer medical marijuana without suffering the side effects of smoking. Edibles are also popular among patients because they can offer long-lasting pain relief.

The way that edibles are prepared can also affect the experience. Some edible producers claim that overheating during the process can lead to the loss of other cannabinoids (chemicals similar to THC) and terpenes (the oils that lend cannabis its smell and taste). The loss of these components might affect your high, as many people believe that terpenes modify THC’s effects. The loss of cannabinoids such as CBD might also dampen an edible’s medical potential, while magnifying the high you might experience.