Edibles offer an alternative to more traditional methods of using cannabis. Rather than smoking or vaping, cannabis is infused into a food or drink and consumed. Edibles are more discreet, and you don’t have to worry about the potential side effects associated with smoking or vaping. Eating cannabis also makes dosing easy.
What Constitutes a Dose?
When it comes to edibles, their potency is measured differently than cannabis flowers or concentrates. The cannabinoid content is measured in milligrams rather than listed as a percentage. Edible labels state the THC and/or CBD content of the entire package as well as the content per serving.
Providing the content of cannabinoids per serving makes dosing incredibly simple. Let’s say you purchase a chocolate bar with 100 milligrams of THC. The bar has 10 servings, each with 10 milligrams of THC in it. If you don’t want to consume the entire 10 milligrams, you can break a section of the bar in half, which gives 5 milligrams. On the other hand, if you want to consume more than 10 milligrams, you know that you need to eat one or more additional pieces.
At the same time, providing the cannabinoid content per serving also helps you to avoid overdosing. If your ideal dose is 10 milligrams and there are 10 milligrams in a serving, you know to only eat one. Eating more could lead to undesirable side effects.
What’s the Right Dose?
The right dose of an edible depends upon the individual. If you’re new to cannabis, you should start with a smaller dose. Ideally, beginners should start with a dose of 2.5 to 5 milligrams, which means that you might need to consume half of a serving size or less. You can then work your way up to find the most effective dose. More experienced edible users may need to consume more than one serving to achieve the desired results.
How Do Edibles Work?
Edibles work differently than other methods of using cannabis. If you smoke or vape, the cannabinoids are absorbed right into your bloodstream. The same goes for using tinctures if you take one sublingually.
Edibles must be processed through the liver first before entering the bloodstream. As a result, it takes longer for the effects to kick in. Once it does get to work, the effects last longer than other methods.
Don’t worry if you don’t feel the effects of eating cannabis right away. Avoid taking a second dose until you’re sure the first one hasn’t worked. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours before your dose kicks in. If you don’t feel anything after 2 hours, then try another one. Waiting will help you to avoid consuming too much.
What About Homemade Edibles?
Licensed dispensaries are required to test and display the cannabinoid content for every edible. You can make edibles at home, but dosing does become a bit trickier. Fortunately, there are equations that you can use to figure out how much THC and/or CBD is in your recipe and, therefore, each serving.
If you prefer to know the exact cannabinoid content going into your system, eating cannabis is one of the simplest ways. With the content clearly labeled on the package, you don’t have to wonder how much you’re getting each time.
