There are key differences between edibles and smoke marijuana, from their dosage to effects.
If you’ve been consuming marijuana for a while, you know consumption methods can greatly affect your high. While both edibles and flower contain THC, the highs they produce are different. So what is the difference between smoking and eating weed?
While some enjoy a healthy mix of mingling pre-rolls with edibles, the majority choose a path and stick to it. Gummies are consumed by almost 50% of all who indulge while joints/smoking is used by the older more traditional user. a
It’s all about THC
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While smoking cannabis is like taking a walk through a vivid park, ingesting an edible is like eating an glitter bomb. There’s a scientific explanation behind this bad metaphor. According to Green Entrepreneur, when cannabis is ingested, the THC is metabolized by the liver, transforming itself into 11-hydroxy-THC. For some reason, this compound is up to four times faster in crossing the blood-brain barrier than average THC. This is why edibles are associated with intense, vivid and hallucinatory experiences.
Both require different dosages
Edibles require more experienced users because their dosage is so damn complicated. If you’ve ever prepared your own batch of edibles and have tried to figure out what’s in them, you know what I mean.
In legal markets, 10mg is the standard dose for an edible, which typically delivers mild effects. It’s also important to account for your tolerance and experience.
Smoking weed kicks in way faster
Inhaled marijuana takes 10 to 20 minutes to kick in, lasting for an hour or so before the effects start to fade. Edibles take up to two hours to kick in, and their effects can last for a couple of hours. This is why dosage and experience is so important when ingesting edibles. If you get it wrong, you’ll feel sick for a long time.
Edibles are more difficult to dose
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As we’ve mentioned before, edibles are tough to dose, taking a long time to kick in. This opens the door for a lot of waiting and not knowing what to do, making it very common for people to have an edible and to eat more thinking they never got high in the first place. Don’t do this. Edibles take a while to kick in and favor a paced approach, giving it a couple of tries to fully understand the way they affect your body.
They produce different effects
An overdose on edibles is not the same as an overdose on flower. While the latter may force you to nap for a half-hour in order to relax and escape a bout of paranoia, ingesting a large dose of edibles could result in a really unpleasant time.
They’re absorbed differently by the body
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Smoked weed is absorbed through the bloodstream, which is why it’s fast-acting. The THC in edibles is absorbed through the stomach lining and then processed by the liver, taking a long time to process and having long-lasting effects.
There’s no clear “best” method
While inhaled cannabis is easier to administer and control, you’ll always have to reckon with the negative side effects of smoking, especially if you’re a regular consumer. On the other hand, while edibles are harder to manage, they’re also discreet and won’t affect your health negatively. In fact, you could even stay away from sugary treats. Nowadays, there’s plenty of delicious edible options.
