A Beginner’s Guide to Edible Cannabis
You may be wondering, what is an “edible?” An edible is any cannabis product you eat. These include cannabis foods like chips, baked goods, cookies, lemon bars, candies, and gummi
es. They also include cannabinoid-infused fats like olive oil, coconut oil or butter.
Unlike homemade edibles, professionally manufactured and tested edibles allow you to choose precisely how much THC to eat, so you can have just the right experience for you. Makers of legal edibles are required to test the potency of THC and note each dose in milligrams (mg). The easiest kind of edibles to dose precisely are gummies or other single-serving edibles. These usually come in a multipack with each gummy containing 5 or 10mg of THC. Most states cap recreational edibles at 100mg of THC per package.
Maybe you’ve used cannabis before, through an inhaled method like vaporizing or smoking. The edibles experience doesn’t directly translate to the inhaled experience, so even if you’re very familiar with cannabis, it’s a good idea to start slow with edibles.
When you first try edibles you’ll need some free time, and a little patience. Unlike the almost-instant effects of inhaled cannabis, when we eat cannabis our bodies need to digest it before it starts to work. If you eat them on an empty stomach, the effects will come on faster than if you combine them with food. A snack will help get things going on an empty stomach, but a large meal may delay digestion of your dose. The user’s body weight and metabolism also affect how long it takes for edibles to work. Everybody is different, but it almost always takes at least half an hour, sometimes up to two hours to feel the effects.
Plan to have an evening free to unwind, and see where it takes you. Set yourself up on the couch or another comfortable place, either alone or around people you enjoy being with. Stock yourself up with some snacks and some water, and get ready to fly.
If you have cannabis experience take a single 10mg serving to start. If you have no cannabis experience, start with just 5mg. Gummies are a great kind of edible to start with because they can easily be cut in half with no mess to get a 5mg dose.
Once you’ve eaten your serving, don’t eat more! It will be very tasty, and you might develop a case of the munchies. We recommend bringing snacks, and having something to do while you wait, like watch a movie, TV show, listen to music, or read a good book. With a starter dose of one serving, your experience should last 3 to 5 hours.
Some users report slight anxiety, or elevated heart rate. This is normal, and will pass. To help move past this stage, breathe deeply and slowly, and listen to your body. Relax in a quiet place and practice self care. Once you know how your body and cannabis work together, you can experiment with different doses and activities. We like to combine edibles with yoga, hiking, going to shows with friends, gaming, and pickup basketball. You’ll find the perfect balance that works for you, and make cannabis part of your life wherever it fits. Good luck on your journey.
