Everything You Need To Know About Edibles

There may be health risks associated with edibles that are not fully known or understood. Refer to the following for risks of edibles: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada.html

Everything You Need To Know About Edibles

Legal cannabis edibles are hitting the market, and we’re ready to answer your burning questions.

Edibles are very familiar to heritage consumers, but now they are entering the legal market. With that comes some very exciting developments for consumers, such as controlled dosing and high-quality ingredients. We’ve put together some key information about that, and everything else you need to know about this exciting new format.

A Cannabis Edible

What is an edible?

In essence, cannabis “edibles” are food products infused with cannabis. Edibles can have a mild cannabis flavour, or no hint of cannabis at all. The combinations are close to endless, but some common types of edibles are baked goods—like brownies—gummies, or chocolate.

Dosing information

Edibles can’t contain more than 10 mg of THC, and the carry limit is still 30 g of dried cannabis, however that doesn’t mean 30 g of edibles. Every package contains an equivalency-to-dried-cannabis conversion so be sure to check that to be sure you are within your limit.

Edibles vs Smoking Cannabis

The way you consume cannabis matters, and it can change the experience a lot. The effects of smoking can be felt pretty quickly (within seconds or minutes), while edibles take a bit more time to kick in (30-120 min). That’s because edibles are metabolized by your liver instead of going right to your bloodstream. It can be easy to take more than you mean to if you’re expecting to feel high right away. It’s also worthwhile to remember that the effects of edibles can last a long time (up to 12 hours with some effects lasting up to 24 hours), so consuming edibles requires some planning. Clear your schedule and get comfy.

While it might make sense to compare edibles to other orally consumed formats like softgels or oils, it isn’t quite that straightforward. Your individual body chemistry may react differently to oils vs. dried flower products, and just converting mg/ml to percentages will not give accurate information about how the products will affect you. Best to start low and go slow with specific edibles and give yourself time to feel the effects before consuming more.

Why are cannabis edibles creating a buzz?

You’re probably asking yourself—haven’t edibles been around forever? Truthfully, they have, but edibles are just now entering the legal market, with the update to Health Canada regulations in October of 2019.

Legality comes with some benefits, other than not having to worry about breaking the law of course. Legal edibles are tested to ensure the highest quality. They’re also labelled with detailed information like THC/CBD content, so you can be informed about what you’re consuming.

You should be able to get edibles wherever cannabis is legally sold, starting in late 2019.

How long does it take for edibles to work?

Like other types of ingestible cannabis, edibles can take between 30 to 120 minutes to take effect. Once those effects begin, they can last up to 12 hours, with some effects lasting as long as 24 hours.

As for how long edibles stay in your system, it’s true that THC can stay in your system a long time after the high is over (for a month or more). Just because an edible high may last longer, it doesn’t mean your system is free of cannabis when the feeling is gone. For more information on how cannabis interacts with your system, click here

How long do edibles last before they go bad?

It can be difficult to say, as edibles take many different forms. To preserve freshness for as long as possible, keep your edibles in an airtight container, in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Edibles offer a whole new way to experience cannabis that’s as easy and enjoyable as snacking. They have a different effect than regular comfort foods though, so take care and start with just a bite.

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