Why are edibles so strong? Here is a breakdown

Cannabis edibles have a good reputation. As you’ve probably heard from at least one of your friends, there are plenty of edible horror stories out there where someone indulges too much and spends an entire day (or night) in psychedelic panic. But if you keep surrounding yourself with cannabis, you will start to meet people who love edibles, consume them regularly, and value them over flowers and vapes.

Edibles are powerful and useful for all types of people from those looking for a good time to those who want the medicinal benefits without inhalation. They are also very malleable and do well for daytime use; When dosed correctly, people can consume edibles and spend a relaxing day indoors, going out, and even going to work. Why do edibles produce such powerful highs?

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While edible highs can blow you away if you’re not careful, what works best is to understand how your body deals with eating cannabis versus smoking it. Two methods, two different highs, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Edibles are misunderstood, with beginners expecting a high similar to that experienced with smoked marijuana. one that can be anxious and stressful on fair occasions, but that passes after an hour. Edible highs differ in one important way: they take a while to kick in and even longer to wear off. This makes the dosage key a lot more important than when you smoke your cannabis.

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The effects of cannabis depend on how it is metabolized in the body. In the case of edibles, cannabis compounds such as THC are absorbed through the stomach and then metabolized through the liver. This is a slow process, unlike smoked marijuana, which is absorbed into your bloodstream and starts to work in less than 20 minutes.

The fact that you have to wait for your stomach to break down the edible and process it by the liver delays the journey into your bloodstream. This is the perfect situation where consumers eat an edible, wait an hour, and then assume that the dosage is wrong and that more is consumed in order to experience something. It most likely isn’t.

RELATED: Why You Must Be Careful With Edibles the First Time

Once the edible is ingested, the THC is metabolized by the liver and converted into 11-hydroxy-THC, a compound that crosses the blood-brain barrier four times faster than THC.

RELATED: What To Do If Your Marijuana Edibles Won’t Get You High

It is also important to consider the types of edibles that you are consuming. Some foods are absorbed faster than others; For example, hard candies and lollipops start creating an effect as soon as you start sucking on them, making them resemble sublinguals. Within 15 to 30 minutes, you will likely experience something. Your high will also be personalized, influenced by the edible itself, your metabolism, your experience with cannabis, and most importantly, the dosage.

While many questions remain open about cannabis compounds and the way they interact with our endocannabinoid system, this process could shed some light on why edible highs are so much more vibrant and surreal than flower highs.