You may have heard the term ‘edibles’ before, and probably wondered, what are edibles? Today we’re going to tell you what edibles are, and give some advice for consuming them.

What Are Edibles 

An edible is any food product that is infused with cannabis that will get you high simply by eating it. Edibles are typically made by infusing cannabis with some kind of fat such as oil, butter, or milk, as a way to extract the THC or CBD.

Although marijuana’s role in the kitchen has long been associated with campy baked goods, the cannabis cooking has grown up and is no longer confined to your uncle’s weed-y herb-flavored chocolate brownies. Honestly, people typically would make edibles with chocolate to mask the taste. Nowadays, however, you can find a whole range of tasty, potent treats available at dispensaries. There are a bunch of different types of edibles, such as:

• Gummy bears
• Granola 
• Cookies
• Brownies (of course!)
• Rice Krispie Treats
• Chocolates
• Lemon bars
• Hot Cheetos (yes, really)
• Doritos
• Birthday Cakes
• Popcorn

There are even chefs who prepare entire meals offering both tasteful and psychoactive experiences from this potent herb. 

Smoking Vs. Eating Edibles

Edibles and smoking/vaping marijuana go beyond just superficial delivery vehicles. One of the main differences between smoking/vaping and eating an edible is how the body processes marijuana. Often, people say that eating marijuana-infused edibles provides a much stronger effect than smoking cannabis. Smoked marijuana hits quickly after inhaling and its effects begin dissipating relatively soon after. This is because it’s metabolized differently than when ingested via edibles. When you inhale it through your lungs, THC (specifically, the chemical compound delta-9 THC) gets into the body extremely quickly and travels straight to the brain. On the other hand, when ingesting an edible, the liver metabolizes the delta-9 THC and converts it into 11-hydroxy-THC. This passes the blood-brain barrier quickly and has more psychoactive effects compared to delta-9, which leads to a more intense high. When consuming, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours to feel the effects, but that high will also last much longer than smoking. 

What Are Edibles Infused With

To make edibles you have to process the cannabis with a fat soluble product, such as butter, oil, or even milk. There are other ways to infuse edibles as well, such as making RSO, or tincture. So next time you’re wondering what are edibles infused with, use this handy guide to show you the way.

Edibles Infused With Butter

This is probably where most people who are trying to infuse edibles start off with. You can read our full blog on how to infuse butter, but basically what you do is take the butter and your cannabis and cook it together, then strain it out. What’s left is your infused butter that you can make edibles with. When I cook with butter I typically think about what are the best edibles to make with the butter that’s going to taste good. And I usually use it for cookies or rice krispie treats mostly. Butter is a little fatty for me personally, so I typically stick with making edibles with oils.

What Are Edibles Made With Oil

Lately I’ve learned the fun of cooking edibles with oils such as olive oil, vegetable oil, and even coconut oil. The process is similar to the butter, you cook the cannabis product with the oil then strain it. Oil for me is more versatile because it’s a little lighter. My favorite oil to bake with is olive oil, because it’s sweeter than vegetable oil when I’m making edibles. I usually use it to make brownies, chocolates, cakes, or anything that’s sweet! I just use a normal recipe and sub the oil, or other fat, for infused olive oil and you usually can’t taste the cannabis at all!

Other Infusion Methods

I’ve heard of people using RSO or tincture to infuse their edibles before too. These are good alternatives because tincture (alcohol-based cannabis infusion) can be put into any drink that you want to feel a high from. Learn how to make tincture from this Cannabis Therapy Potcast episode. If you don’t mind the sugary taste, you could also take the tincture and put it into sugar and mix it up, then let it dry, and now you have infused sugar.

RSO, otherwise known as Rick Simpson Oil is a thick, kind of goopy, cannabis infusion, so it could be good to use in gummy products as it wouldn’t make them slimy or watery, like oil or butter might do. RSO is made by taking the tincture from above, and cooking it down until there is no more liquid left. Then it’s usually syringed into a needle for storage and usage. 

Edible Dosage Advice

The second difference, one that has admittedly, given edibles a bad rap over the past few years due to consumers, is dosages of edibles (and also the setting in which you consume edibles). Whereas smoking’s effects are immediate and easy to figure out when you are high enough, edibles take much longer, making each person’s dosage a bit of a tricky science. Dispensaries typically measure out a dosage in their edibles, with the standard dose being 10mg. However, edibles can be as strong as 200 mg. Given the longevity of the time it takes for edibles’ effects to come on, it’s best to pace yourself and wait at the very minimum an hour if you don’t seem to feel anything. Although you can’t overdose, just as you shouldn’t take another two shots immediately after your first, you’re bound to have a bad time if you get too baked. When consuming edibles you’ll want to make sure you’re in your therapeutic sweet spot, and don’t get too high.

If you do accidentally get too high, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to consume some CBD, as its been known to help lower your high and get you into your sweet spot.

So did you get your answer to what are edibles? They’re basically any food or drink product that’s infused with cannabis.

Watch our Cannabis Therapy Potcast Episode: What Are Edibles for more information, or contact our expert cannasultants today to get more information!