Cannabis Edibles: What You Need to Know
Love edibles? You’re not alone. Research shows that cannabis edibles are some of the are growing in popularity faster than any other type of medical marijuana product. Why is that, you may ask? We’ll answer that question, along with looking at some of the different types of edibles at dispensaries and the differences between edibles vs tinctures, in this post.
Medical Cannabis Edibles: What Are They?
The term “cannabis edible” encompasses anything infused with THC that you can eat. While edibles originally took the form of brownies, cookies, and other baked goods in the US, we’ve branched out way beyond that now. Today, you can find edibles like candy, beverages and more gracing dispensary shelves.
Edibles vs Inhaled Products
While edibles and other cannabis products all share the same active ingredients (cannabinoids and terpenes), they don’t have the same properties when it comes to experience and effects. Generally, edibles take longer to kick in than other medical marijuana products do. Where smoking cannabis will affect you nearly instantly, edibles can take up to an hour (or more) to begin exerting their effects. In addition, they last longer—sometimes up to 8 hours.
Why the difference? It’s because your body processes edibles differently than any other infused product. For example, when you inhale cannabis smoke or vapor from a concentrate, your lungs absorb their active ingredients almost instantly, passing them directly into your bloodstream. As a result, you feel their effects after just a few moments.
Not so with medical cannabis edibles. Instead of passing through your lungs, edibles must make the trek through your entire digestive system before your body absorbs them. That means they need to make it all the way to your liver. Once there, your liver metabolizes the active ingredients in them.
Tinctures vs Edibles
Although tinctures and edibles do share some similarities, there are plenty of differences between the two. And by far one of the biggest contrasts between tinctures vs edibles is how you consume them.
While you can swallow tincture, leading your body to absorb it in the same way as it would an edible, you also have another option: You can apply tincture directly under your tongue, known as “sublingual dosing.” This area has a high concentration of blood vessels, and the skin covering it is extremely thin.
As a result, you can actually deliver tinctures into your bloodstream while circumventing your digestive tract. This makes tinctures a little more versatile in comparison to cannabis edibles.
Medical Cannabis Edibles: Dosage
Finding the right dosage for any cannabis product is a highly individual experience, and edibles are no exception! The one thing to note about dosing for edibles, however, is that when processed by your liver THC is converted into 11-hydroxy-THC, which many people experience as more potent than the form of THC available from other consumption methods.
So if you’re new to edibles, starting with a very low dose and seeing how your body reacts is an important step in ensuring you have a positive first edible experience. Slowly increasing that dosage with future experiences will help you find your optimal dose without going overboard: Start low and go slow!
Types of Cannabis Edibles at Dispensaries
These days, you can find a wide variety of cannabis edibles at dispensaries. If you can imagine it, some intrepid cannabis entrepreneur has likely made it. Some of our favorite types of edibles at UpTop are:
- Betty’s Elderberry Fruit Chews: Gummies are a great edible delivery system for medical cannabis. These Elderberry Fruit Chews take your average gummy to the next level, with a fairly uncommon flavor and a potent dose of 50 mg of THC each.
- Do Drops Sea Salt 1:1 Chocolates: Want to escape from the ordinary world of cannabis edibles? Do Drops’ Sea Salt 1:1 Chocolates are exactly that, with equal parts THC and CBD. The chocolates also include CBG and CBN to help enhance their effects.
- Levia Dream Seltzer: Remember how we said that edible companies were branching out? One of the ways they’re doing that is with cannabis infused beverages, which have become very popular. These Dream Seltzers from Levia are the perfect combination of refreshing and relaxing, with 5 mg of THC each.
We always have a wide variety of edibles in stock at our dispensaries, so check what’s on the menu today. Can’t decide? Ask your budtender in store or give us a call!
Medical Cannabis Edibles: Wrapping Up
We hope this introduction to edibles was helpful in better understanding what edibles are and how they differ from other consumption methods. Do you have any lingering questions about cannabis edibles? Don’t hesitate to reach out and ask: We’re always here to lend a hand!
Feel free to stop by any of our dispensary locations to talk to our team about what we currently have in stock, or browse our entire selection of cannabis edibles online from the comfort of home. Either way, we hope to serve you soon!
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