Marijuana Edibles Medical Benefits and Consumption Planning

Smoking pipes and joints aren’t the only fan-favorite methods of consuming cannabis in 2022. With the legal permissibility of marijuana continuously expanding, so does the range of intake methods available to humans. Because of this, people are engaging in cannabis use to treat their chronic pain and other health conditions increasingly.

From vaporizers to patches, down to marijuana tinctures and topicals. Of all of these, the most popular type of cannabis product today is the marijuana edible. Marijuana edibles are cannabis-infused food items, which means they contain active cannabis components like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and sometimes cannabidiol (CBD). They come in all shapes, sizes, forms and flavors.

But they’re not all taste and flavors, there are also health advantages to consuming edibles. In this article, we’ll explore marijuana edibles’ medical benefits and consumption planning.

Why Use Medical Marijuana Edibles Over Other Cannabis Options

A survey in 2018 explained the consumers’ perceptions of edible marijuana. According to the participants, there are several reasons why users lean towards edibles:

1. Edibles don’t produce the same smell as smoking weed which means no chance of obtaining secondhand smoke.
2. Edibles are the more convenient option.
3. Edibles are discrete and subtle.
4. Edibles produce longer-lasting highs.
5. Edibles support relaxation and reduces anxiety.

Perhaps, the most apparent reason to choose them, aside from marijuana edibles’ medical benefits and consumption, is the wide range of options to choose from. The most common edibles are baked goods like brownies, cupcakes, cookies, and gummy candy. On the other hand, they can come in beverage form too like tea, coffee, and smoothie. If you love to bring snacks on the go, edibles are convenient and subtle ways to do it.

Nowadays, edibles are also available as capsules and condiments that are integrated into various recipes.

Health Benefits of Using Marijuana Edibles

Marijuana edibles offer a wide variety of health benefits for patients. In fact, there are some health benefits in edibles that you won’t find among users that rely on traditional cannabis use like smoking. Here are a few health benefits of edibles:

• Offers relaxation and relief to anxiety

There is a pool of existing preclinical research that points to CBD (a compound found in cannabis edibles) as a treatment for anxiety disorders and their specific classifications. This includes generalized anxiety, panic disorders, social anxiety, OCD and PTSD provided the cannabis is administered acutely.

• Manages chronic pain

One in five Americans suffers from chronic pain. The reasons behind this are multifaceted, which also suggests a multifaceted approach to addressing each manifestation. One of the most common interventional methods used is the intake of cannabis including edibles.

THC stimulates the brain’s cannabinoid receptors inducing an elevated state of mind. This then interacts with the brain’s pain receptors to produce pain-relieving and inflammatory effects.

• Control muscle spasms

Cannabis extracts, which are then used as active ingredients in edibles, are found to relieve muscle spasms among users. Ingestion of marijuana helps in improving muscle spasticity and the reduction of spasticity-related pains.

• Soothe seizures

Anecdotal evidence and suggests that CBD also demonstrates anti-seizure properties. A 2017 study indicated the potential efficacy of CBD compounds in managing specific epileptic syndromes. Edibles can be used as an adjunctive treatment therapy for childhood-onset and drug-resistant epilepsy.

• Help manage asthmatic symptoms

Perhaps, one of the most important benefits that edibles have to offer is their anti-asthmatic property. Since asthma and other lung problems are results of inflammation, experts believe that CBD may help counteract this via the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD. Since smoking can further irritate the lungs, edibles are viable workarounds to this problem.

Consumption Planning for Marijuana Edibles

Marijuana edibles’ medical benefits and consumption go hand-in-hand. If you want to maximize the effects and experience associated with intake, you need to plan out your consumption.

Unlike vapors and smoke, edibles take longer to kick in. When cannabis is smoked, they go straight to the lungs and into the bloodstream. On the other hand, edibles are first ingested, digested, and metabolized before the effects kick in. This process takes around 45-60 minutes.

For this reason, we recommend that cannabis users “take low and go slow” whenever using edibles. This will help manage the effects and keep you from going overboard.

Four reasons primarily affect the time by which edibles take effect:

1. Type of edible – Edibles that require digestion like baked goods may take longer than lozenges.
2. Dosage – Higher concentration of cannabis extract means greater impact.
3. Tolerance – Potency of edibles is directly related to the frequency of your cannabis usage.
4. Rate of metabolism – The faster your metabolism, the faster the effects kick in.

As a rule of thumb, we recommend that users with low tolerance begin by taking around 2.5 mg of edibles or less. However, if you want stronger effects, increase the concentration to your liking.

Just because effects are delayed, doesn’t mean you have better tolerance against edibles. Try to wait for 45-60 minutes before ingesting a new set to prevent feeling too high.

Edibles normally share the same effects and benefits as other marijuana products. The only apparent difference is their intake method, rate of effectiveness, and specific benefit in managing asthmatic symptoms. So, if you’re interested in using medical marijuana for any breathing issues, edibles may be the best intervention you could take.

Schedule an appointment with Medwell Health and Wellness Centers for an educated consultation with the team.