Cannabis Edibles: How To Dose And Ingest Them Properly

This article by Helga Green was originally published on AskGrowers and appears here with permission.

If you’re relatively new to edible cannabis, you have probably missed an entire adventurous world. When smoking or inhaling is too much for you, taking a look at such foods is necessary.

Right now, you are welcome to choose from a stunning range of edible cannabis products. For instance, plenty of chocolates, punches, candies, brownies, puddings, and other goods are reaching new popularity heights. The excellent news is that all these goodies come in numerous flavors, tastes, and forms.

You should know already that edible cannabis foods have lasting effects compared to inhaling or smoking. But if you’re just starting in edibles, you need to be aware of proper doses and ingestion rules. Not only are such pieces of information required for patients needing CBD intake, but those who enjoy THC effects here and there.

In our comprehensive guide on marijuana edibles, we’ve already covered most of the information you need. Still, getting acquainted with proper doses and ingestion is a must for any cannabis user. That’s why we’ve got you covered, and let’s dive deeper into the marijuana edibles knowledge you should possess.

How Do Edibles Work

You might wonder if there is any difference between smoking or inhaling marijuana and consuming it in a brownie form. Of course! There are plenty of distinctions, with the primary one being the speed of kicking in. When smoking THC, they hit the lungs, almost immediately hitting your bloodstream. But the situation is quite different when eating a brownie or two.

With edibles, your digestive system breaks cannabinoids, once again processing them through the liver and only then sending them to your bloodstream. What does that mean for you as a casual user? You shouldn’t expect a juice cannabis cake to kick in that fast. When processed through your gut, it might take from twenty minutes to three hours to enter your bloodstream.

Uniqueness of Edibles

Compared to the usual way of consuming marijuana, usually performed by smoking or vaping, eating cannabis-infused is different. You won’t damage your respiratory system in one way or another. But also, edibles are produced differently, with a few unique features. In raw cannabis plants, THCA is a compound, which has to be transformed to THC to have its usual properties.

Because of this chemistry feature, raw cannabis plants are heated to the oil-based liquid. The rest of the flower is then discarded, and the THC-full oil can be used for producing edibles. They can be manufactured on your own, but you can still buy some at your nearby dispensary if your local law allows that. A common misconception is that edibles require no heating of THCA. But in reality, if you don’t heat it to an appropriate temperature, cookies and brownies will have no effect on your body and mind.

In your digestive system, the oil produced from the THCA heating process then breaks down to nutrition and THC. The perks of gathering oil for edibles are superb since you can add premade cannabis oil and butter, which can be manufactured by the leading dispensaries and companies. Take a closer look at it if you would like to experiment with cooking edibles on your own.

Benefits of Cannabis Edibles

Cannabis edibles are top-notch foods, combining your favorite flavors and CBD/THC extracts. Compared to smoking or inhaling, the side effects of edibles are usually minor. Some people report having stomach irritation or diarrhea, which are typically rare and of mild severity. So, let’s take a look at some of the noticeable benefits of cannabis edibles.

Perfect for a Sweet Tooth

It’s no surprise that we humans enjoy tasty foods, which boost our serotonin and melatonin levels. So if you compare CBD oil or THC cannabis that is smoked, a mouth-watering brownie or chocolate is more appealing regarding the taste.

Easier to Control for Experienced Users

This one is quite tricky, mainly because not all cannabis users behave similarly. The more you experiment with all those brownies, punches, and candies, the better you control the CBD and THC intake. Isn’t it sweet?

Variety of Products on the Market

Should we even mention this one? Right now, the market of cannabis edibles is roaring, with edibles constituting 43 percent of demand in California and Colorado. Except for the good-old brownies, you can take a look at soft drinks, gummy bears, and other impressive foods.

How to Choose the Right Dose

Except for the perks of cannabis edibles, one should know how to dose edibles accurately. While smoking or inhaling cannabis strikes almost immediately, people can measure a proper dosage. But because of digestion, which takes longer to make it to the bloodstream, sticking to a particular dose is more controversial. Still, let us help you in choosing the right dose. First, take a look at the table, followed by some general recommendations that might be handy.

THC Per Dose	1-2.5 mg	2.5-15 mg	15-30 mg	30-50 mg	50-100 mg
Effects	Relieving pain Helping with anxiety, stress, and depression. Boosting creativity and self-expression	Stronger sense of euphoria Stronger symptom relief	Potent euphoria Negative effects for newcomers Coordination impairment	Extreme euphoria Strong coordination impairment Altering perception	Strong coordination impairment Altering perception Adverse side effects: rapid heart rate, pain, dizziness, nausea
Target Audience	Newbies	People with severe symptoms	Users with experience Medical patients	Users who have poor absorption of THC Users with high tolerance	Only for experienced users Medical patients who need such high THC content

As you can see on our chart, THC content has various effects on people eating edibles. While some doses are fine for newbies, others can lead to negative experiences and severe side effects. But even though THC content is important, CBD plays a huge role.

When choosing a strain for cooking or purchasing edibles, remember that CBD is a superb source of medical properties. Thanks to its calming effects, cannabidiol seems to be a counter-balance to THC, which actually makes you high. For edibles, the ideal proportion of THC to CBD is 1:1, but you can experiment with different variations depending on your tastes. Marijuana veterans might want to experiment more with strains leaning to THC, while newbies will find 1:1 as an ideal proportion.

Understand the THC and CBD Content

When it comes to cannabis edibles, they come in various forms regarding the CBD and THC content. As for CBD-infused edibles, don’t forget that isolate types have no THC content, meaning that they enhance medical effects, such as pain or anxiety relief.

The mixed THC and CBD edibles supplement each other, being powerful therapeutic and calming properties. Make sure you understand how these two extracts work to make the most of cannabis edibles.

Check the Labels Carefully

If you are prone to purchasing commercially produced cannabis edibles, all of them come with labels. There, take a closer look at labels and what they contain, including THC and CBD content, third-party testing, and recommended serving dose. This rule is a must, especially if you enjoy bite-sized edibles, such as gummies.

Are You New? Start Slowly

Regardless of whether you want to eat a CBD-infused or a mixed CBD/THC cookie, mind the amounts. While the serving doses are more or less clear, you might wonder how many mg to intake? With THC edibles, start with low dose edibles with serving doses of 1-5 mg, which are optimal amounts for beginners.

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Getting Accustomed to THC

If you’re taking THC for quite some time, your organism will eventually get accustomed to all those milligrams. In other words, you might actually start with 1-5 mg servings, but steadily increase this number to get the experience you want. The situation with CBD-exclusive edibles is slightly different, but if you eat 1:1 edibles, you should increase the CBD extract accordingly.

Pick Your Product

Once you know all those labels, servings, and milligrams, you are now welcome to experiment with edible types. If you were exclusively eating brownies, now it’s the time to switch to gummies, chocolates, and cookies.

Regardless of the products, the rules remain quite the same: mind the doses, stay patient, and read the labels carefully.

More Tips on Doses and Digestion

As with anything that relates to cannabis, staying calm and hydrated are the two best recommendations. What’s more, the CBD dosage chart and THC percentage chart are the two instruments to make more conscious decisions on edibles. But since smoking and inhaling are intuitively more understandable for cannabis users, edibles might still be tricky.

If you’ve just eaten a brownie and expect the extracts to kick in immediately, you’re too impatient. Don’t ask for another cookie, but instead listen to your organism and wait for the extracts to digest. If you still don’t feel any effects even after an hour or two, try stimulating your digestion by eating an apple or so to boost absorption.

And if you’re a total newcomer to cannabis, and edibles are your first tries, you might need to take a few doses without feeling any effects. You might even ask the question of “why don’t edibles get me high?” Why? It’s pretty simple: your organism needs to get accustomed, building a natural reaction to cannabis. Because of those biological processes, don’t ring the alarm and experiment with edibles for a few more tries.

Tips for Relieving Overconsumption of Edibles

But when you feel that you’ve overeaten or took an excessively high dose, make sure you’re in a calm and safe environment. Drink more water to stay hydrated! What’s more, if you want to ease the cannabis effect, try having a spoon of lemon juice. But most importantly, don’t forget that your “high” won’t stay for long, so having the right mindset is critical here.

Recommendations for Cooking Edibles at Home

You might want to experiment with cannabis edibles and cook them at your home. You see, it requires specific knowledge and preparation. For your convenience, we hand-picked all the vital recommendations needed for cooking edibles at home, including:

• Choose the marijuana potency you’re aiming for, with potent buds and an intense aroma. The higher the quality of cannabis is, the better your edibles will kick in.
• If you heat raw cannabis plants in a cooker, and that’s your approach, make sure to pick the right temperature. Edibles need to be appropriately baked to bind to your body’s receptors.
• Try using coconut oil, which has a high-fat content. Lots of fats stick to cannabinoids, making the overall baking process more efficient.
• If you’re cooking for the first time, try using water not to leave marijuana too dry. This way, you won’t spoil your meal.
• Keep your kitchen sterile and clean, especially if you’re using cannabis oil and butter. The less you waste, the better your brownies and cakes will taste.
• Don’t forget that keeping a proper dosage is critical here. Use a credible calculator or follow trusted recipes that highlight THC content and its potency in edibles. It’s crucial to calculate edible dosage correctly since you don’t want to get too high or feel nothing at all.

These recommendations would be handy if you’re a rookie in cooking edibles. Make sure to follow them all to bake the foods of your dreams.

Final remarks

Edibles are a huge trend that is slowly becoming more typical for cannabis users. Regardless of whether you need CBD for medical reasons or want to have some fun with THC cookies, you’re free to experience them. But first, make sure to check your local laws and regulations, pick products in the licensed dispensary, get to know how to dose edibles calculator, and experiment with the foods available on the market!

Don’t regret using a trusted edibles calculator if you feel you need more guidance on exact THC content. Choosing a proper THC to CBD ratio requires some experience, so as home-made edibles production. Make sure you know all the details since edibles are nuanced, and their effect depends on numerous factors. Still, good luck experimenting in a beautiful world of cannabis edibles.