Cannabis edibles are incredible, especially those that contain THC. Since 420 is upon us, we wanted to share some tips and best practices to ensure you and your friends have a positive edible experience.
It’s that time of the year again when pot brownies are passed around somewhat haphazardly. Those with higher tolerances to cannabis edibles need not fear the edible dose from space, but to anyone else who is brand new to edibles or has only done them a few times, here are a few tips and best practices to ensure your first cannabis edible experience is superb.
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If you’re used to smoking bowls, hitting Mr, Bubbles the bong, or dabbing, you could still get floored by cannabis edibles with THC.
When you inhale THC, a small amount of THC is metabolized by enzymes in your lungs, converting THC into 11-HYDROXY-THC, which is significantly more potent and intoxicating than THC. However, when you eat THC, your liver metabolizes a lot more of the THC into 11-HYDROXY-THC, which is why cannabis edibles with THC can hit so hard!
The increased amount of 11-HYDROXY-THC from cannabis edibles is why someone with a high tolerance to smoking can get so high off an edible for the first time.
There seems to be a lot of confusion about what a dose should be for people new to cannabis edibles, who consume regularly, and who have tolerances, like Cheech and Chong.
Most regular cannabis edible consumers are comfortable consuming 10-25 mg of THC. However, those with super high tolerances or differences in their genetics that affect drug-metabolizing enzymes in the liver can easily tolerate doses exceeding 500-1,000 mg of THC.
For new cannabis edible consumers, we recommend taking 2.5-5 mg of THC maximum within 24 hours. If you don’t experience any bit of a high, that’s okay!
On average, cannabis edibles take 1-2 hours to kick in and can last about 4-6 hours. What’s fun for some but crazy for others is that the high can sometimes have a rollercoaster effect.
Unfortunately, sometimes people experience weird delays in the effects of THC in cannabis edibles. It’s not uncommon to meet someone who ate a brownie, felt totally sober for a few hours, and suddenly felt super high many hours later. This is why we don’t suggest taking MORE, even if you feel nothing after a few hours.
If your first cannabis edible didn’t deliver the high you were looking for, then the next time you try one, increase the dose by 2.5 mg and continue with each experience until you find your sweet spot.
It’s pretty simple. The two brownies below look identical, but one could have 1,000 mg of THC, and the other could have 15 mg. Regarding cannabis edibles, especially homemade ones, size can be deceiving. So, if you’re ever offered an edible, and someone says, “Take a smaller piece if you want a lower dose,” it’s meaningless information.
Similar to size not mattering, breaking cannabis edibles in half doesn’t always mean half the dose. Many products like gummies, mints, chocolates, and other single-serving products from dispensaries are usually accurately dosed. However, many edible products that are meant to be consumed freely, like a bag of popcorn, chips, pretzels, and some chocolate bars, and homemade edibles, aren’t usually homogenized properly. Meaning that if the entire package contains 100 mg of THC and you only ate 1/10th of it, you most likely won’t have a 10 mg dose. If you’re new to edibles, steer clear of anything that’s not single-serve or coming from an unknown brand.
There are many claims that certain hacks and tricks will help if you’re too high. The reality is, if you’re already super high, time and distractions are your best chance of reducing anxiety and paranoia. Many claim that CBD will help if you’re too high, but the research doesn’t support this.
Research published by Elsevier Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews on how CBD influences the acute effects of THC indicates that in order for some people to experience a less intoxicating high from THC, CBD must be taken before or at the same time as THC. The study further explains that this generally only works for those with a very low tolerance, and women more so than men.
So, if you’re worried about getting too high, you’re best bet is to take 100-200 mg of CBD an hour or so before or at the same time that you enjoy your cannabis edible!
There you have it, folks! Hopefully, these 5 tips will help you enjoy your first experience with cannabis edibles, and you have an awesome and safe 420!
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