Medical cannabis products come in a wide variety of forms. Oils, flower, tinctures, topicals, and many others are utilized daily around the globe by marijuana patients. Edible cannabis products, however, may be one of the most popular, and for a great reason. Let’s take an in-depth look at why edibles are becoming a top choice for patients utilizing medical cannabis.
What are Edibles?
Cannabis edibles, cannabis-infused edibles, or simply edibles are any form of ingestible product that contains cannabis-derived compounds. This may be just CBD or THC, a combination of the two, or several cannabinoids along with terpenes and other valuable plant compounds. Edibles come in a wide variety of forms, including gummies, hard candies, suckers, chocolates, infused oils, and many others, depending on the market. These products also come in a wide range of strengths and various flavors, offering unique options for all medical cannabis consumers and marijuana patients alike.
What Makes Edibles Different?
Edibles are quite different than other ways to utilize cannabis. This is because of what is known as Hydroxy-11-THC. When consuming marijuana edibles that contain THC, after consumption, delta-9-THC converts to Hydroxy-11-THC. This conversion results in a few aspects. One is that edibles tend to offer much more intense effects, which often means increased psychoactive effects. With edibles, these effects also tend to last much longer than with other cannabis products. These aspects are, however, one of the main reasons why marijuana patients choose cannabis edibles.
What Benefits do Cannabis Edibles Offer Medical Marijuana Patients?
Edibles are a prime choice among medical marijuana patients because they offer a wide range of benefits, many of which are not found in other consumption options. Let’s explore!
- Discretion and Convenience
- Increased Intensity and Longevity of Effects
- Precise Dosing
- Make At Home
Discretion and Convenience
Cannabis-infused edibles are available in a wide variety of forms, including candies, sweet treats, gummies, trail mixes, popcorn, beverages, and much more. Because cannabis-infused edibles look just like other food and beverage products that everybody consumes, they are a very discreet way of consuming cannabis. Not only are they very discreet, but they are also superbly convenient!
Increased Intensity and Longevity of Effects
Because of a compound known as Hydroxy-11-THC, cannabis-infused edibles are also known for offering a much more intense set of effects than those are felt with other methods of consumption such as inhalation. When the body processes THC through the liver and the digestive system, delta-9-THC is converted to Hydroxy-11-THC, which offers a much stronger intensity to any psychoactive effects produced. This is highly embraced by those suffering from issues such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and chronic pain, among other ailments. Edibles not only produce more intense effects, but the effects also tend to last much longer. For most consumers and medical cannabis patients, the effects of medical cannabis edibles are experienced on average from 6 to 8 hours after onset.
Precise Dosing
Medical cannabis edibles are also precisely dosed, which is of great value when determining what regimen of cannabinoids works best for your needs. In medical cannabis markets today, you can find cannabis edibles with as little as 1 mg of THC per serving and as much as several hundred milligrams of THC per serving, and everything in between. On average, though, most THC cannabis edibles range from 5 to 50 mg of THC per serving.
Easy to Make at Home
Cannabis edibles are also loved by many marijuana patients as they can be made at home. Many cannabis patients prefer to make their own edibles at home as they have complete control over the ingredients utilized as well as the strength of the final product.
Tips And Tricks for an Elevated Edibles Experience
It’s likely you’ve heard about the intensity that some people feel when consuming edibles. While cannabis edibles do offer intense effects in comparison to other methods of consumption; If consumed thoughtfully and responsibly, the experience can be a very pleasant one.
Go Low and Slow
With cannabis edibles, it is essential that you start low and slow. If you have never eaten a cannabis-infused edible before or are completely new to medical cannabis entirely, it is recommended that you start with a low-dose edible ranging from 1 to 5 mg of THC. Also, it is essential to stay hydrated and to avoid consuming cannabis-infused edibles on an empty stomach as this can lead to more intense effects as well.
Be Patient
Because cannabis edibles are digested and have to work their way through the digestive system and the liver, their onset of effects is much longer than sublingual or inhalation methods. On average, cannabis edibles do not produce effects until 30 minutes to 2 hours post-consumption. This is where many newcomers to cannabis edibles go wrong and end up on the path to intensity. When consuming edibles, it is essential that you wait a full 2 hours to see how they affect you before consuming more.
Counteracting the Effects of THC
In the event that you consume too high of a dose of cannabis edibles and the effects become too intense from the THC, the first thing you need to do is remember not to panic. There are several things that you could do to counteract these effects and to decrease their intensity. Eating, sleeping, showering, watching a funny movie, listening to music, and engaging in your favorite hobbies are a few.
Additionally, it has been shown that other cannabinoids have the ability to counteract the psychoactive effects of THC. For this reason, it is highly recommended that those that consume cannabis edibles keep CBD on hand as well. By consuming a CBD tincture or other oral product, it may help to decrease the psychoactive effects of the THC.
As a medical cannabis patient, it can become overwhelming to take in all the information surrounding all the various products. We hope that this guide will help you feel more comfortable pursuing the use of cannabis-infused edibles as a medical cannabis patient. If you don’t have your medical marijuana card, don’t worry, simply click here to schedule an appointment to start the process of gaining legal access to medical cannabis.
Disclaimer: The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained in this article is for informational purposes only. No material from this article is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment before undertaking a new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.