Edible cannabis is much more potent than smoked or vaped cannabis. For those starting out on their edible journey, here are five tips for consuming edibles to help ensure you gain all the benefits without the unwanted side effects. Of course, there are weed edibles for sale in Canada these days, but you’ll want to know how to keep the experience enjoyable.
5 Tips for Consuming Edibles
While the effects are slower to come on, the effects of edible cannabis are often more intense due to how they are metabolized in the body. With an understanding of dosing and setting, edibles are one of the most effective ways to medicate.
But if you get the dose wrong, or find yourself in an anxiety-provoking situation, then edibles can sometimes lead to difficult and unexpected experiences. If you are purchasing weed edibles for sale, here are five tips for consuming edibles to help ensure you maximize your experience without having a meltdown.
1) Start Low and Go Slow
Dosing edibles is always much more complicated than smoked or vaped forms of cannabis and can be a tricky equation for some to master. The effects of edibles can take considerable time to come on, and once they do, there’s no turning back! Remember that you can always eat more, but you can’t reverse the effects once they kick in.
Edible doses generally start at 10 mg of THC (like this Baked Boys Chocolate Bar) and go up from there depending on tolerance. There are even some edibles that reach 100mg of THC – be warned first timers!
If it’s your first time consuming an edible, then begin with 2.5 – 5 mg. It’s always best to err on the side of caution as edible forms of cannabis are much stronger than smoked forms. This is because THC is processed in the liver when eaten and converts into the more potent 11-hydroxy-THC.
Depending on how much food is already in your digestive tract, the onset time of an edible can vary considerably. When you consume an edible, wait for between 1 – 1 ½ hours before redosing if you don’t feel the effects strongly enough.
Be mindful of your tolerance. While some experienced medical consumers can deal with substantial doses, many will succumb to the effects of paranoia, anxiety, and dizziness commonly associated with overconsuming THC.
2) Eat a Light Fat-based Meal Before Consuming an Edible
Combine weed edibles for sale with a light meal. If you consume an edible on an empty stomach, the effects will likely peak sooner. But what few understand is that when consumed with a light fat-based meal, the same dose will peak later, but will be stronger and more prolonged.
The reason for this is that cannabinoids like THC are fat-soluble. And without fat molecules to bind to, they become less bioavailable. When consuming any form of cannabis, it makes little sense to spend your money only for it not to absorb optimally once ingested.
Many people recommend consuming edibles on a full stomach after a high-carbohydrate meal. But this is unnecessary and makes little sense. It results in less potent effects due to ineffective absorption and means that you waste your money. To make your medicine go further, consume a light fat-based meal 30 minutes before or after ingesting the edible to ensure maximum absorption.
Following such a protocol may mean that you’ll have to lower your dose. But when lower doses begin to work more effectively, your money goes further.
3) Ensure a Comfortable Setting
It’s not advisable to take an edible for the first time if you’re experiencing any negative emotions or find yourself in an environment where you don’t feel safe. Get cozy, grab a friend, and then start eating that infused cannabis cookie.
It’s best to be in a calm and relaxed state with a clear intention the first time you consume an edible. Being in familiar surroundings, either alone or in the company of people you trust, is crucial.
If you do experience adverse effects, then don’t panic. While anxiety and paranoia may develop in some individuals, it’s important to remember that cannabis has never killed anyone, and no one can overdose from THC. Any negative emotions experienced are transient and will pass in time.
Focus on breathing deeply, removing yourself from an environment that provokes any anxiety, and do what you need to do to make yourself feel safe, whether that’s being alone or with a close friend, or listening to relaxing music.
In a trick made famous by Neil Young, munching on some black peppercorns can help quell any edible-induced anxiety. Black pepper is rich in the terpene β-Caryophyllene and is known for its anti-anxiety effects. Lacking black pepper, brewing a chamomile tea or introducing some CBD to counteract the THC may help induce a more relaxed state.
4) Prepare Yourself To be High For Longer
Where smokers may feel the effects for approximately 3 hours, anyone consuming edibles can expect to feel the effects for at least double that, and much longer. The effects are not only longer-lasting but also more powerful.
It’s important to clear your schedule and free yourself from any responsibility for the duration of the effects, and avoid driving or operating any heavy machinery.
Avoid combining an edible with alcohol or drugs. The increased disorientation may make for an uncomfortable experience for first-time edible consumers. Alcohol can increase the concentration of THC in the blood, meaning that it can intensify the experience considerably if the two are mixed.
5) Set an Intention
Some like to binge on Netflix after consuming an edible. And while that’s fine once in a while, cannabis can actually be a potent ally when it comes to harnessing creativity, healing, and rewiring our default modes of being.
Setting a firm intention before consuming a cannabis edible can go a long way towards ensuring a productive experience. Whether it’s to engage in a creative task, to meditate, do some yoga, or go for a walk in nature and connect with the aliveness of the forest, cannabis can open us up in ways that few are aware of.
Step 1: Find Weed Edibles for Sale. Step 2: Enjoy.
Edibles are the tastiest way to enjoy the benefits of cannabis. With a few simple precautions, edibles can provide day-long effective relief, all in a delicious, easy to consume and discrete form.
At BC Medi Chronic, we stock a wide selection of edibles to cater for all tastes. Between gummies, brownies, infused dried fruit, and chocolates, we have an extensive range of delicious treats. And with clear dosing instructions, each is ideally suited to the first-timers and experienced consumers alike.
