So you have reached the edible portion of your cannabis journey. Congratulations are in order for making it this far! Cannabis infused edibles cover a wide range of cannabis products that have been infused into a consumable form.

Edibles can either be pre-made into any number of cannabis infused foods or can be found as a cannabis oil that can then be added to the food of your choice. The cannabis oil can be added to just about anything you can consume.

The most important thing to note when trying anything new is to start low and increase as you become more comfortable. When taking too much marijuana it can be an uncomfortable feeling for anyone but when you get the dosage correct it can be a very natural feeling and it's no different when it comes to edibles.

Our goals with cannabis education are to not only help you find the right products for your needs but also help you realize how dynamic the effects between cannabis strains can be and find the correct dosage.

This guide to cannabis edibles will provide you with all the information you need on how cannabis edibles work, the different types available, and what you should do when consuming edibles for the first time.

 

What I need to know about edibles?

Legalization of cannabis in Canada had a significant amount of knock on effects but the one consequence was an overwhelming amount of options for edibles.

You can now find cannabis infused candies, cannabis infused baked goods such as cake and brownies, cannabis oils to make your own cannabis treats and even cannabis juices, pops, and beers for people who would prefer not to light up a joint or vape any more cannabis oil.

For the most part you will find infused sweets or a tasty treat of some kind but it isn't all sweats anymore. Infused beverages, chamomile tea, cannabis infused nuts, you name it and I'm sure someone has tried to put weed in it.

This may seem all fine and dandy, it is, but it can lead to decision fatigue when you can choose from cannabis infused treats or cannabis oils to add to your edibles. If only there was a way to consolidate all of the knowledge you need for consuming edibles in one convenient blog...

 

How do cannabis edibles work?

When cannabis is heated  it's compounds are activated and they become bioavailable for the body to digest and eat. These activated cannabis compounds then need to be combined with a fat soluble substance to allow them to be digested as your body processes THC in the liver.

Cannabinoids occur naturally in their acid form, the process of heating cannabinoids is called decarboxylation. When cannabis is decarboxylated the acid forms of THC and CBD are activated - resulting in bioavailable cannabis compounds which can be eaten, vaped or taken as a tincture.

Think about it as cooking something to make it easier to metabolize, which means it is more bioavailable to your body.

Whether cannabis is infused into a cannabis edibles or cannabis oil it must be solubilized before it can become active and  be digested by the body.

Consuming raw cannabis will not have the same effect as consuming cannabis that has been infused in cannabis oil or cannabis that has been added to cannabis edibles.

 

What are the benefits of cannabis infused edible consumption?

Eating cannabis has numerous health benefits from protecting your lungs from cannabis smoke, containing cannabis effects for longer periods of time, and even allowing you to more accurately dose your experience.

Cannabis edibles may even reduce the amount of cannabis required to produce desirable cannabis effects because you're feeling the effects of a more potent metabolite of THC (more on this later). However, it also prolongs the cannabis effect and increases its potency.

Health benefits of edibles

Regardless of how natural it is, a good rule to go by (unless told otherwise) is that your lungs generally don't react well to combusted material and the same goes for THC smokers.

When you combust cannabis all sorts of plant material become aerosolized and you are breathing that in, regardless of what your favorite method of consumption from an experience perspective, smoking remains the least healthy way to consume your cannabis from the standpoint of your lungs.

Chronic weed smokers may find edibles as a good alternative while still providing the effects. I know of a few people that have made the switch to edibles altogether after finding the right products for their needs.

Properly dosing edibles

Edibles are essentially made up of tiny THC molecules suspended in cannabis oil. The benefit of this is that you can precisely dose your cannabis.

Precision dosing can be advantageous for medical marijuana patients or recreational therapeutic consumers that are looking for precise, consistent doses.

Smoking marijuana can lead to unreliable effects from session to session, while this may be fun for recreational marijuana it isn't always the goal.

Convenience of edibles

There is no doubt that pulling a gummy out of your pocket is easier than rolling a joint.

The THC smokers experience is something I still enjoy but once I realized the convenience and diversity of edible products it was a game changer.

Cannabis beverages provide a phenomenal alternative to drinking alcohol while still having a drink in your hand if you're anything like me and like the feel while socializing.

 

Important things to know when eating edibles

Edibles take longer to kick it

When eating weed infused food it can take longer before you start to feel the effects. Even experienced smokers can be surprised by how hard edibles hit because of the delayed onset.

Almost all weed consumers have heard (or experienced) horror stories of doubling down on your edible dose only to start to feel the first dose and realize they've now taken too much THC.

Edibles newbies should start with a smaller dosage than you would expect, especially with homemade edibles where THC isn't evenly distributed. Experts suggest waiting at least 90 minutes to see how you feel before taking more.

Edibles can have stronger effects than smoking

Remember when I told you edibles were a different kind of THC? When you eat weed it passes through a different metabolic pathway than when you smoke weed.

When THC goes through your digestive system, liver converts THC into a stronger drug called 11-hydroxy-THC which is 4-5 times stronger than tetrahydrocannabinol.

While this is great for pain relief and sedation, it also means edibles hit harder and last longer. 11-hydroxy-THC found in edibles bind more strongly to marijuana receptors than smoking which means the effects of marijuana edibles stay in your brain longer and can be more intense.

Most commonly I hear stories of homemade cannabis edibles where the consumer doesn't know how much THC is present and sometimes even just a tiny nibble is enough to induce a high.

I prefer when edibles are less potent so you can consume more, this means you can more accurately dose your desired product and you get to taste more.

 

Cannabis oil solubility in fats

Cannabis is hydrophobic, meaning it does not dissolve in water. When cannabis is solubilized in cannabis infused oil, the cannabis particles are dispersed in microscopic droplets of cannabis-infused oil.

The fats used in cannabis-infused edibles can be split into four categories, saturated, polyunsaturated (PUFAs), monounsaturated (MUFAs), and trans fatty acids.

The cannabis infused oil used for cannabis-infused edibles can contain a single type of fatty acid or a mixture, depending on the desired taste and consistency of the cannabis edible.

Compounding factors include the cannabis strains used, the extraction method employed to extract cannabis oil, and emulsifiers (agents that help keep cannabis particles evenly dispersed).

One important thing to note is that due to the hydrophobic nature of cannabis it can form lipid micelles... here's a little bit of chemistry for you: The hydrophobic end of your cannabinoids will form a ring (micelle) which will inhibit the metabolism of your cannabinoids, this is why cannabinoids should always be mixed with a carrier oil and are best consumed with food.

I like to consume my CBD oil with a bulletproof coffee - Coffee with a small amount of butter (fat for your cannabis oil).

 

Cannabis edible events

The era of cannabis has begun and cannabis friendly events are popping up all over the place.

Cannabis friendly events where people drink infused beverages, eat infused edible dishes, and smoke cannabis are on the menu. Events of this nature can be found everywhere from private cannabis clubs, cannabis weddings, and even a festival or underground shop.

The marijuana industry is evolving to build a community of passionate consumers and with that creative avenues of meeting and experiencing cannabis are popping up.

Eating cannabis infused foods at these events is a phenomenal experience but one word of caution is to be weary of how much you're consuming. You now know how cannabis infused edibles work and I've been to events where people started mixing marijuana joints, edibles, dabs... So I'm coming from a place of knowledge when I recommend conscious consumption.

Fortunately getting too high typically just involves a very uncomfortable feeling that if you're around a supportive group it isn't too difficult to navigate.

 

Tips for Having A Good Experience With Edibles

Here are some tips for maximizing your edibles experience if you're trying it out for the first time. It can be very hard to tell exactly when cannabis edibles will kick in so don't worry if it takes longer than expected, don't re-dose and give it 1-1.5 hours before deciding if its not working for you.

When trying any new psychoactive compound you want to ensure that you're in a comfortable set and setting in order to get the most out of the experience.

Your cannabis mindset

This stands for the mindSET entering into your high. Cannabis edibles affect everyone differently and that's determined by a ton of factors such as how much you weigh, what cannabis strain its made from, tolerance levels, stomach contents at the time etc. but potentially even more than the physical factors the mindset and intentions will impact the high.

This may sound a little far out there for some, for others probably not.

Cannabis is a nonspecific amplifier, cannabis edibles will bring out any feelings or emotions that are currently strong organic feelings you already have.

It's very common for people to feel some anxiety when entering into unfamiliar states so understand this is a normal part of the process and cannabis is just bringing it out of your subconscious mind.

Sometimes a feeling of unease surfaces from the idea of a loss of control (like we ever had that anyway), it's okay to surrender yourself to the experience, you may even take something valuable out of it.

Your cannabis setting

The setting refers to the environment in which you consume. Cannabis should be used in comfortable environments that are relaxing and enjoyable for yourself.

Make sure to surround yourself with people you are comfortable with and cannabis will enhance those feelings of relaxation and enjoyment.

If you feel uneasy in a situation it's okay to remove yourself from that area or those people and find a more relaxing setting, cannabis should not be used to break out of existing feelings or to ignore social situations you are uncomfortable with.

 

Edible Effects

Remember cannabis edibles effect everyone differently and trying cannabis edibles for the first time is a very personal experience so while these tips may help some people it doesn't mean cannabis will have the same impact on you. Start low and go slow, with the right dosing your cannabis edible experience can feel quite natural. Different products may have different onset times and different effects so make sure to read up on other people's experiences on the InstaLeaf platform if you're curious.

Trust your own intuition and experiment in situations you are comfortable in.

 

Above all enjoy the experience

I hope this gave you some insight into cannabis edibles and how to get the most out of your experience.

There are so many different ways to enjoy this remarkable cannabis plant so have fun experimenting while you search for your perfect fit.

Stay lifted,

InstaLeaf