Tips For a Safe, Enjoyable Edible Experience

Here, we’ll explore some top tips to ensure that your edible experience is as enjoyable and efficacious as possible.

Cannabis “edibles” are products designed for oral consumption. They can come in many forms – drinks, tinctures, or pastries. The common thread is that they contain cannabis compounds called cannabinoids – THC, CBD, CBG, or others.

One of the most important things to understand about edibles is that they produce potentially drastically different physiological and psychological effects than smoked or vaporized cannabis.

How do edibles differ from smoked or vaporized cannabis?

Here are the key differences between smoked and ingested cannabis:

• Onset and length of effects. Edible cannabis effects reach their peak about an hour to two hours after consumption. They gradually dissipate over a few hours. On the other hand, smoked/vaped cannabis effects reach their peak after 10 minutes and generally dissipate about an hour later.
• Concentrations of cannabinoids. Whereas 50-60% of smoked cannabinoids end up in the bloodstream, only about 10% of the cannabinoids in edibles do so.
• Intensity of effects. Many users report more intense physiological and psychological effects from edible cannabis compared to smoked/vaped products.

The reason for these different effects is that ingested cannabinoids are metabolized through the liver while smoked/vaped cannabinoids pass into the blood directly through the lungs.

How to consume edibles

Here are a few pro tips for an enjoyable and safe edible experience:

• Start with small doses, even if you’re an experienced cannabis user. Because of the different delivery method, the effects are different and often more intense with edibles.
• Wait for a minimum of two hours between doses to see how your body reacts before taking more. Edibles will exert their effects more slowly than smoked/vaped cannabis.
• Try to relax. If your edible contains THC, you might feel an intense effect, but try to relax as best you can. Anxiety can have a snowball effect, feeding on itself and ultimately potentially leading to a panic attack.
• If your doctor prescribed an edible product for therapeutic purposes, follow his or her guidelines to the letter.

CBD vs THC edibles: what to understand

You might have heard horror stories regarding accidental over-consumption of edibles. In this 2006 viral clip, for example, a Michigan cop produced homemade brownies with his wife, believed he was dying, and called 911.

This very real episode (the officer resigned shortly thereafter) demonstrates two key points:

• Making your own DIY cannabis edibles is riskier than relying on commercial products with exacted, standardized concentrations of cannabinoids under careful oversight – so you know exactly what you’re getting.
• You must exercise caution if your edibles contain THC.

It’s important to remember that no one has ever died from cannabis consumption, whether smoked or eaten. Nonetheless, eating too much of any THC edible at once can cause extreme discomfort and disorientation.

Because CBD doesn’t produce any psychoactive effects, there’s no risk of such negative psychological experiences. Cannabis products that contain more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, in any event, are currently illegal in Georgia and at the federal level. Delta-8 THC, however, is fully legal.

Regardless of the type of cannabis edible, always carefully follow the instructions, read the warning labels, and know any potential risks of adverse events beforehand, so that you can better anticipate and avoid them.

Contact Georgia Hemp Company to learn more about CBD edibles

We’re your local cannabis experts, in your corner to help you have a safe, enjoyable, and effective edible experience. Contact us to learn more about edible safety and best consumption practices.