Easy Guide to THC Edibles | Loud News Net
I have come around recently to truly appreciating THC edibles. As much as I absolutely love rolling a Dutch and puffing while watching something funny, like Chappelle’s Show, there are still strong, negative social and legal connotations associated with weed. Even as states en masse have collectively voted time and time again to legalize it, a few in the most recent elections actually succeeding in doing so, many people still look down on those like me that have unconditional love for mary jane. And as a black man in America, with natty dreads no less, it’s remained difficult for me to kick back and enjoy lighting up or even meandering through life just smelling a bit like the herb. This is where marijuana edibles comes in for me – it’s the alternative to smoking that doesn’t give you away by the smell and is discreet the point where I describe it as ‘getting high on the down low’.
But since we are transitioning from inhaling weed to ingesting it, it must be stated – THC edibles are a different animal. We’ve all heard the story about the cop in Dearborn, MI who took pot off of people he was arresting, made brownies with his wife, and called 911 because they were so high they thought they were dying (by the way, he somehow was let off, avoiding any charges). While this and just about any other horror story you may hear are probably isolated incidents, it is telling of what can happen if someone consumes far too much, essentially having no idea what they are doing.
So we hear at Loud News Net want to give all you rookie reefer eaters a bit of a beginners guide to consuming marijuana edibles. While this wont be a super extensive dissertation into the world of edibles, it will give you basic knowledge so you know what you’re getting into before consuming or purchasing, and you’ll learn what to look for if you happen to find yourself in a dispensary.
What Happens When You Eat Your Weed?
Smoking your herb is absorbed through your lungs, going straight into the bloodstream, causing users to feel the effects of THC (which stands for tetrahydrocannabinol, the main compound in cannabis that gets you high) within minutes. But eating your weed sends it on a bit of a longer journey – it’s absorbed in the stomach, sent through the intestines, eventually being broken down in the liver where its finally passed into the bloodstream. This can take at least a half hour, possibly longer, depending on a number of variables such as the weight of the user, how well their metabolism works, the last time they ate a meal, history of pot use, tolerance level, etc. etc.
Many edibles may also contain CBD (which stands for cannabidiol, the second most abundant compound that is non-intoxicating) which can help sort of alleviate the psychoactive effects of THC. So if an edible has a similar amount of CBD as it does THC, you’ll get more of the “medicinal” effects and the things associated with being high – such as paranoia – might be softened a bit.
This is why edibles demand a bit of trial and error to get down and truly enjoy. You should take the time to start small and build up to what YOUR body is comfortable with handling. This shouldn’t be a foreign concept to anyone who has consumed any kinds of drugs or alcohol, especially when it’s a substance that is new to them or something they are not used to.
Why Eat Weed?
As stated earlier, the discreet nature of eating edibles is what initially sucked me in. I’m not someone that needs the whole block to know I just puffed a blunt, or thinks it’s cool to let everyone know I’m ripped. I just truly love enjoying my herb and that uplifting feeling it brings, even more so when no one is aware and able to somehow use it against me. But there are a few other positives when it comes to eating weed that are worth talking about.
For one, the high from marijuana edibles tends to last far longer than smoking. With smoking you can expect to be high for a few hours, but edibles have a bit of a comedown because during ingestion they have a tendency to bind to fats resulting in a bit of a drawn out high.
Another perk is you aren’t smoking. Besides eating a bit too much and becoming a paranoid mess, the negative effects are basically nonexistent (although that is definitely up for debate). Smoking anything at all will always present some type of risk and ultimately deteriorates your lungs at a faster rate than those that do not smoking at all.
And finally, with legal weed on the rise here in the states, instead of simply putting your faith into some sketchy hippy you meet at a music festival who sells you brownies in tin foil, dispensaries and other related shops are staffed with people that possess the knowledge to help you get to wherever you want to be, whether it’s just to enjoy a good high, or to treat some sort of health issue such as anxiety or sleep deprivation. And while this particular article is focused on eating weed, there are now a number of ways to consume it, like teas, sodas and other drinks.
Start Slow, Rookie!
So now that we have an understanding on why you should approach edibles with a bit of caution, let us indulge in just how to do so. There are a ton of resources online with guides similar to this one and even more expansive (such as this Leafly guide written by an actual doctor). But legalization has made the process so much simpler, with edible producers being forced to include dosage information on their packaging for legal sale. So remember THC, which we explained was the psychoactive component in marijuana? You should be able to find the THC amount of your edible, in milligrams, somewhere on the packaging.
While researching for this article, I found that most of my resources recommended somewhere around 5 milligrams for first time users, never exceeding 10. In my personal experience, I have found that anything under 10 mg is within a ‘safe zone’; I have eaten gummies with 10 mg and felt damn good, but not incapable of carrying on with everyday life. This can be a bit higher for veteran smokers, but remember: trial and error is the name of the game. Many will make the mistake of eating more because they aren’t “feeling it” after say an hour. From experience, I can say that can be a big mistake, as the high can come out of nowhere like a bat out of hell, just to drop kick you in the face.
So I recommend doing a bit more reading to figure out exactly where to start; you can also put in the phrase “edible dose chart” into Google Images for easy to understand breakdowns for first time users. First, ask yourself – are you a veteran smoker, a once in a while toker, or a complete noob to reefer all together? Second – figure out exactly what you’re consuming for. Are you trying to feel uplifted? Are you an anxious mess? Do you need help sleeping? Are you trying to meditate your mind to another plane of existence? And third – take basic inventory on what you know to be true about your body and how you handle other things that are ingested.
The final step is to meet and speak with someone a bit more knowledgeable, because WHERE your edible came from is EVERYTHING, and can tell you a lot about what to expect…. or not.
Where Should I Get My Edibles?
Unfortunately, most of us do not live in a state where it is legal, but for those that are fortunate enough to be near a dispensary, that is absolutely your best bet. In my experience dispensaries tend to hire, or at the very least train, employees to be knowledgeable on the subject. The most obvious reason is because so many people are using for medicinal purposes, and edibles tend to be more of a preference. But every dispensary is NOT the same, in terms of both service and product quality, and you should definitely do your research before visiting one.
The powerful tool that I implore anyone to have and use is the Leafly app (available on IOS and Android) created by Leafly.com. The app is pretty much the Yelp of Marijuana dispensaries and also has a database of strains that give extensive info such as THC amounts, origin, lineage, etc. It is a most have for stoners, even if you just buy from the homies around the corner that swear they got fire. It also contains a ton of useful articles to help you grow your knowledge.
For those of us not in legal states, you may have to rely on someone else for your edibles. If you are lucky, you might meet someone that makes their own at home. I have even experienced meeting people that run businesses on Instagram where they manage to sell edibles. But be warned – unless they have the proper tools to find out just how much THC is contained in their creation, it might be impossible to know. For example, when cooking brownies using cannabutter, there’s a good chance the THC will not be evenly distributed throughout the brownie, so some chunks or bites you might take may contain more than others. It can be a bit of a toss up and may even risk you buying something with no weed in it at all.
It is totally possible to find a reliable source for edibles – someone who exhibits a lot of knowledge about whatever they are selling you is key. If they made it themselves, then them going out of their way to package it well to maintain freshness and maybe print out dosage info to include will go a long way. It’s also good practice to know someone who has dealt with this person before and can give you some personal insight into the quality of their product.
And finally, we have to talk about packaging that claims to be from a legal state, or better yet, doesn’t. A small fact that many people don’t know is that you can purchase mass amounts of empty packages on sites like Ebay that can be used to sell edibles. I learned this about a year ago when I got into vaping marijuana. A friend showed my all of the cool, flashy packages that was sold to me on Ebay, that are used to give you the impression that they are legit and not made by someone in their basement. Packages that actually come from legal states tend to have some sort of legal disclaimer on them, stating what state they are from and what proposition allows the sale of the product.
In Conclusion
THC edibles, or marijuana edibles are, well, pretty dope. But only if you are smart about it. Just like alcohol, it can be a lot of fun in controlled doses, but too much can make you break on through to the other side like the Doors, if you catch my drift.
Just do a lot of research before indulging. And if possible, speak to someone credible like an employee at a dispensary. And of course, there’s no better way to indulge in edibles then with a friend.
In conclusion – be safe, be knowledgeable, and I’ll see you in outer space!