When you’re looking at marijuana for medicinal purposes, there are many options. The primary decision that you need to make is ingestion or inhalation. Foods definitely open up the possibilities when it comes to cannabis. There are 5 main differences between ingesting cannabis edibles and flowers to consider when you’re making the decision to ingest or inhale. You may experience different effects and it’s important to know what to expect.
Differences between cannabis edibles and inhalants
- THC is absorbed differently.
Marijuana-infused foods are usually stronger than either smoked or vaporized cannabis. The reason for this is because of how your body processes it depending on the method that it’s taken in. When you ingest cannabis, THC is metabolized by the liver and converted into 11-hydroxy-THC. This causes a more intense high because it is particularly effective in crossing the blood-brain barrier. THC that is inhaled goes right to the brain, so the effects come on faster and diminish faster.
- The effects and duration are different.
When taking cannabis, you need to remember that the form has a huge impact on the effect and duration. It’s important to start small. With edibles, it can take 30 minutes to two hours to kick in. The effects can then last several hours and be stronger than inhaling. If you ingest a large dose, you may experience almost psychedelic head highs. Start small and you will have more comfortable effects.
- Edibles are harder to scale.
It is more difficult to determine the THC content when it’s contained within food. Edibles are more potent. This also makes it harder to scale up as needed. It’s much easier with inhaled cannabis.
- There may be differences with advertised potency and actual potency in edibles.
When you have an unregulated market without adequate testing, the edible’s potency may not match the label.
- Edibles are healthier.
Edibles can be a good alternative for those who don’t want to smoke. Vaporization is sometimes considered as well, but edibles many times offer better results. While edibles often conjure up the image of brownies, there are some lower sugar options such as granola and butter.
Take care when choosing how to take in your THC. Make sure to take into account the information above when deciding. Contact us today to set up an appointment to receive your MMJ certification, which gives certification holders first class service.
Aaron Bloom serves as the CEO, overseeing the mission and growth of DocMJ and Medwell Health and Wellness Centers. Aaron’s passion for improving patients’ lives comes from his background in health care. For more than 20 years, Aaron owned, operated, and represented traditional healthcare organizations. This experience created a passion for finding improved ways to relieve suffering. His goal as CEO is to work daily to relieve all patients who seek better health and wellness through the medicinal benefits of medical cannabis and evidence-based alternative medicines.
