Marijuana consumption is slowly turning into a trend among people nowadays. Many countries and communities have started to embrace the many health benefits that the cannabis plant has to offer. As a result, people have come up with a bunch of ways to consume this God given plant. You see, smoking marijuana may be detrimental to the health because of the constant exposure to the gases emitted in the smoke. Because of this, there have been a number of ways constructed to use marijuana without having to light up the occasional joint every now and then.
One of the most famous ways of using marijuana today is through the use of edibles. These are food products that contain certain doses of cannabis. The most common forms and food types of edibles are usually pastries and desserts. However, they can come in almost any type of food. In this article, we take a closer look at how edibles work and how the differ from other marijuana consumption methods.
- What are Edibles?
As stated above, marijuana edibles are a completely different form of cannabis consumption. They offer a unique and tasty experience as opposed to the usually smoking or vaping of cannabis. Edibles are basically food products that have been spiked with an ample dose of marijuana. Take note that these doses may come in the form of grinded weed buds or cannabis extracts. For example, pastries make use of an ingredient known as canna-butter or canna-oil. The most common snacks that are made into edibles usually include cupcakes, cookies, brownies, or any other pastry. However, they can be combined into pretty much anything like pastas, pizzas, burgers, steaks, and even drinks.
- How do edibles work?
Because the consumed edibles have to go through the digestive system before spreading throughout the body, effects of edibles tend to take longer compared to the effects of traditional smoking. It can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 hour for the psychoactive effects of edibles to kick in. However, this may vary depending on a person’s metabolism rate, body fat, amount of THC in the edibles, and the tolerance to THC levels.
Once the THC found in edibles go through digestion, it slowly makes its way into the user’s bloodstream and brain. There, the THC activates the cannabinoid receptors responsible for bodily functions such as coordination, reflexes, reaction time, and memory. Additionally, psychoactive sensations stimulated by edibles also tend to last longer as compared to smoking marijuana. This is because the THC takes quite a long time to be digested and it slowly makes it way to different parts of the body.
BENEFITS OF USING MARIJUANA EDIBLES:
- If you are experienced in ingesting edibles, then you might have the distinct advantage of controlling the dosage of THC that you consume.
- It avoids the lung damage that comes with smoking and vaping marijuana.
- It is an ideal way of enjoying cannabis for people who do not smoke.
- Edibles offer a longer lasting high than smoking joints. This is perfect for people who plan to chill out for the whole day.
- It is a more secret and discreet way of consuming cannabis.
- Cannabis is known to enhance and improve the taste of many dishes. It works well as a compliment for any snack that you plan on making.
DOWNSIDES OF USING MARIJUANA EDIBLES:
- Effects tend to manifest after a long while. This increases the chances of taking too much and overdosing on THC.
- While over dosages are not lethal, they have the tendency to cause negative side effects such as nausea, paranoia, panic attacks, and anxiety.Too much sweet snacks make be dangerous especially for people with high sugar levels.
- Digesting THC may have side effects if mixed with other compounds such as medicines and alcohol.
