A Beginner’s Guide to Marijuana Edibles

Even if you’re used to smoking weed, using marijuana edibles takes things to a whole new level. Marijuana edibles can be any kind of food infused with marijuana from gummies to brownies or even drinks like THC-infused tea and juices. These products get you much higher than smoking marijuana and the effects last for much longer, so it’s important to know how to use marijuana edibles if you’re a beginner.

Marijuana edibles shouldn’t scare beginners away- using marijuana in edible form can be an incredibly fun experience as long as you’re prepared for the powerful effects. Just make sure you know how edibles work before you take them and take a sensible dose to avoid any uncomfortable side effects.

Many users take marijuana edibles for the interesting recreational experience they offer, although they can also be great for medical users who need strong relief for issues such as pain, stress, and sleeping problems. But whatever you’re using them for, you should know how long they last, how much you should take, and what to expect. Here’s our Marijuana Edibles Guide for Beginners.

What Are Marijuana Edibles?

There are many effective ways to get the effects of marijuana today. While many users stick to simply smoking or vaping weed, tons of unique options are now cropping up such as Tinctures and Capsules. However, marijuana edibles are by far one of the most popular and interesting ways to use marijuana.

Marijuana edibles are simply food products that have been infused with the cannabinoids in marijuana. Instead of having to smoke anything, you just have to eat these and wait for the effects to kick in. The effects of edibles can take a while to emerge, but they give you a much stronger and longer-lasting high than smoking marijuana.

You can now buy marijuana edibles online, although some users prefer to make them at home. The process usually involves infusing the THC in marijuana into butter or oil before using it in recipes for brownies, cakes, gummies, chocolate bars, and all kinds of other interesting edible creations. They offer one of the most enjoyable ways to consume marijuana, although you’ll need to be prepared for seriously strong effects.

Why Are Edibles Stronger Than Smoking Marijuana?

One of the main reasons people opt to use marijuana edibles is because of the powerful effects they provide. Compared to smoking or vaping marijuana, the high from using marijuana edibles is much more pronounced. Users seeking an intensely psychoactive experience often enjoy the powerful and long-lasting effects of marijuana edibles.

There’s a good reason why eating marijuana edibles produces a much stronger high than other methods of consumption. When you smoke or vape marijuana, your system is impacted by delta-9-THC, typically referred to simply as THC. THC binds to cannabinoid receptors in your body and activates reward circuits in the brain to provide a range of effects such as heightened senses, uplifted mood, and soothing physical effects.

When you use marijuana edibles, you’ll experience the same kind of effects. However, they’ll be much stronger. This is because when you consume THC orally, your body converts delta-9-THC into 11-hydroxy-THC, a much stronger form of the chemical. It can take a while for the THC to be converted, but when it reaches your system, the effects are phenomenal.

Edibles provide stronger physical relaxation and intense cerebral effects. You’ll still feel happy, euphoric, and deeply relaxed, but the effects will be much more pronounced. As well as providing stronger effects, the high from using edibles also lasts for much longer than other methods of marijuana consumption.

How Long Does It Take To Get High From Edibles?

Before you take edibles, it’s important to know that you won’t feel the effects immediately. While you might be used to the rapid onset of effects from smoking or vaping marijuana, you may have to wait a while to reap the rewards of consuming marijuana edibles.

When you eat marijuana edibles, your body must digest the THC and convert it into 11-hydroxy-THC before it reaches your system. As such, you’ll have to wait for a while to experience the effects of edibles.

The onset time of effects can depend on various factors, such as your body weight, tolerance, and the speed of your metabolism. However, a study found that, in general, the effects of edibles usually begin around 30-90 minutes after consumption.

Some beginner users make the mistake of becoming impatient and thinking their edibles aren’t working. However, it’s important to wait for the effects to start instead of increasing your dosage. You might have to wait 2 hours or more, but taking more edibles can result in you getting too high and experiencing uncomfortable side effects for many hours.

How Long Will Edibles Make You High?

As well as giving you a stronger high than smoking or vaping marijuana, marijuana edibles also get you high for significantly longer. Most users avoid using marijuana edibles if they need to be focused as they can end up making you high for pretty much the entire day.

According to research on the effects of marijuana consumption, the high from smoking or vaping marijuana generally tapers off after around 2 to 3 hours. In comparison, the effects of marijuana edibles usually peak at around 2-3 hours but can last for as long as 12 hours.

While edibles can last for a seriously long time, you won’t necessarily feel high for 12 hours. The length of the effects can depend on numerous factors including how much you take, how strong your edibles are, and your tolerance to THC. In general, you should expect to be high for at least 4-8 hours.

In most cases, it’s best to clear your schedule before taking marijuana edibles, especially as you’ll feel hazy and stoned for hours after taking them. However, there are ways to use edibles without feeling completely out of commission. For example, some users microdose with edibles for milder effects.

Marijuana Edibles Dosage For Beginners

Since edibles hit you so hard, you’ll need to be careful about how much you take. Even if you’re used to smoking a lot of weed, taking edibles is completely different and every user should start with a low dosage before trying to take more.

Typically, the best dosage for beginners is around 10mg of THC. This will still give you a powerful high but it allows you to test the effects of edibles without going too overboard. Once you get used to taking this much, you might want to try increasing your dosage by 5mg or 10mg next time.

You might also want to try microdosing with edibles. Many users enjoy the medical relief they get from marijuana edibles but find the sustained high uncomfortable. What’s more, some users might simply want to feel the effects without feeling hazy for the entire day. A smaller dose of around 2.5-5mg is often best for these scenarios.

Figuring out your dose of edibles is easy when you buy readymade edibles. These will tell you how much THC each serving contains on the package. For instance, THC Gummies often have 10mg in each piece. If you make edibles yourself, figuring out the dosage can be harder. If you’re unsure of how potent your edibles are, start by trying a very small serving and increasing your dose if it’s not too overpowering.

Should You Make Or Buy Edibles?

You generally have two options for using edibles. You can either buy readymade marijuana edibles from cannabis brands or make them yourself at home. It’s legal to do either but which is a better approach for you?

There are a few key benefits to buying readymade edibles. You won’t have to go through the hassle of decarboxylating weed and cooking up cannabis butter. You’ll also know exactly how much THC is in your edibles- this is particularly helpful for beginners. Plus, buying edibles from top brands ensures you’ll get a product that works well and tastes great.

Making edibles yourself can be time-consuming, but it’s also rewarding. You can make all kinds of cannabis creations with a single batch of cannabis butter or cannabis oil. It gives you the freedom to infuse pretty much any food or drink you want with THC. Determining the dosage can be trickier- you can either calculate how much THC is in the marijuana that you use or simply try a small amount and learn by trial and error.

If you enjoy marijuana edibles, you might want to try out both of these approaches. Buying edibles online is easier than ever, but making them at home can also be fun and allows you to experiment more.

How To Make Edibles Yourself

It’s surprisingly easy to make edibles right at home, although you’ll need to invest some time. There are a few steps you’ll need to take before you can make marijuana edibles. First, you’ll need to decarboxylate your weed by heating it in an oven. You’ll then need to infuse it into butter, oil or another kind of fat before using it on foods and in recipes.

Decarboxylation involves heating your marijuana at a moderate heat to activate the THC without burning it. To decarboxylate your marijuana, preheat your oven to 245°F and spread your buds of weed across a baking tray on a piece of parchment paper. Give it around 30-40 minutes and shake the tray every 10 minutes or so so your weed is heated evenly.

Once you’ve decarboxylated your weed, you can cook it into various kinds of fat by combining the ingredients and letting them simmer on low heat. The best way to do this is with butter. Put a saucepan on low heat and add a cup of butter and a cup of water for every 7-10 grams of marijuana you plan to use.

Next, grind your decarboxylated weed and add it to the saucepan. Allow the butter and weed to combine and simmer without boiling for 2 to 3 hours. Make sure you keep your saucepan at a low heat to avoid burning or boiling your weed- a temperature of around 160-190°F is best.

Once your cannabis-infused butter is ready, strain it into a glass container. It’s best to do this with a cheesecloth to strain the butter through and separate it from the rest of the plant matter. Seal your container of butter in the fridge and remove any excess water once it’s hardened. You can now apply your cannabis butter to food or add it to baked recipes.

Where To Buy Edibles

While you can make edibles at home, many users prefer to simply buy edibles online. No matter what you prefer, you can find a massive range of delicious and effective marijuana edibles. Buying edibles also makes it much easier to know exactly how much THC you’re getting. Here are some of the best edibles to try.

Twisted Extracts Cara-Melts – If you enjoy the taste of caramels, try these delicious THC-infused caramel pieces. Each piece contains a sensible 10mg dose of THC and you get 80mg in each pack. You can also buy them in indica, sativa or even CBD depending on the kind of effects you want.

Jelly Bomb – Apple (80mg) Sativa – These THC-infused fruit gummies are potent and flavorful. Each gummy contains 10mg of THC and you get eight in each pack, giving you a total of 80mg THC. If you don’t fancy the Apple flavor, you can also try flavors like Cherry, Mango, and Orange.

Sesh Chocolate Bars – You can also try these tasty marijuana chocolate bars. Four flavors are available-   s N Cream, Dark Chocolate Raspberry, Salted Caramel, and Milk Chocolate. Each bar contains 250mg of THC split into 15 breakable pieces for a more manageable dose. You can even make the pieces even smaller if you like.

Conclusion

Marijuana edibles can give you one of the most amazing highs, but it’s important to be prepared. Edibles can take an hour or two to kick in- be patient and don’t eat more edibles whatever you do. Since edibles are so strong, you shouldn’t take any more than 10mg on your first try. You should also bear in mind that the high from edibles can last anywhere from 4-12 hours.

If you want to try edibles yourself, you can find a wide range of marijuana edibles available for online delivery. You can also buy all kinds of cannabis strains, concentrates, tinctures, and much more at TopDispensary.ca.