Marijuana Edibles: An Alternative to Conventional Smoking

Marijuana used to be a prohibited substance in most countries, but just like any narcotics, many people still used it decades ago. The 70s and 80s saw a boom in marijuana use. Those were the prime hippie days when even maybe your parents dabbled in a little bit of weed. But as decades passed and more technology was introduced, the use and regulation of marijuana improved. More and more countries made it legal, some medically, some recreationally, and some both. Smoking is a common form of consuming cannabis, as well as other emerging and popular methods, for example, ingesting marijuana edibles and vaping.

Joints

Smoking marijuana converts the inactive ingredient THCA into THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. The presence of heat and light does the conversion, also called decarboxylation. This process turns THCA – the non-psychoactive component – into THC, its opposite. There are those who do not want to get high but need the medicinal benefits of marijuana. Instead of smoking, they prefer edibles, oils or cannabis juice.

Edibles

Edibles are any food that you can infuse with marijuana. They can be cakes, cookies, butter, oils, anything. Foods that you need to cook will turn raw leaves into something that gives you psychoactive effects. You can switch to edibles if you don’t want the effects smoking can have on your lungs. Although marijuana has medicinal effects, smoking it can have adverse effects on your lungs. Edibles are a healthier and safer alternative to smoking marijuana. They also provide the same benefits. You can eat weed raw, or you can infuse it in your food. Fresh leaves of cannabis will not give you the high effect that you usually associate with it. It needs heat and light to become psychoactive. So, if you are after the medicinal benefits of cannabis minus the psychoactive effects, you can chew raw and fresh leaves, juice them, or toss them with your salad. When you opt for edibles over joints, the absorption of THC into the bloodstream is slower, as the system still has to metabolize the marijuana. This can become an issue in controlling its effects, as you still have to wait for them to kick in. If you continue eating edibles before the first effects kick in, you will have an issue with repercussions later on, especially if you are not used to its severe consequences.     

There are differences in the effects of joints and edibles. Smoking gives off its effects a lot faster, and they dissipate more quickly too. Edibles, on the other hand, take longer to take effect, as the body still has to metabolize them. It can take anywhere from an hour to a couple of hours for you to feel the effects of cannabis in edibles. The effect also lasts longer in your system. It is important to note that when eating edibles, you must start with small amounts until you feel the initial impact, then you can add more depending on how much you can take.