Smoking VS Edibles: Which Is the Better Option?

For hundreds of centuries, human beings have smoked and swallowed cannabis.

Both gave them a high. Biologically, edibles versus smoking marijuana are a rough equivalent of test cricket against T20.

The amount of time needed to feel a psychoactive effect (onset) and the duration of the impact of the high, differentiate significantly between edibles vs. smoked cannabis.

Specifically, smoking weed involves inhaling cannabinoids – the molecules responsible for medical efficacy.

The most researched and popular cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This is because of the psychoactive effect it produces in all mammals (not only humans).

Also, when consumed in an edible form cannabinoid such as THC logically never touch the lungs.

Instead, they enter through the stomach where the liver digests them. However, the resulting cannabinoid is not the THC version that is transported to the brain when the pot is smoked.

It is pertinent to note that edibles have an established reputation for being the most impactful way of ingesting cannabis.

Apart from the fact that you can swallow more at a given time, cooking with cannabis, or eating extracts also activates a different cannabinoid in your body that results in a powerful high.

This is because when an individual eats marijuana it travels via the stomach and converts into a different molecule.

Understanding THC molecules

The molecules forming from eating or smoking THC, 11-hydroxy-THC and delta-9 THC respectively feature different characteristics, including their capacity to permeate the blood-brain blockage.

This results in a critically distinctive efficiency for the two modes of consumption.

Following are three levels of a THC high:

1. Impact
2. Onset
3. Duration

Smoked cannabis: 2.5 minutes

When marijuana is inhaled, it generates delta-9 THC which within moments reaches from the lungs to the heart.

From there, THC is transported directly to specific CB1 receptors in the smoker’s brain.

When smoking the onset of the psychoactive effect is short – at about two and a half minutes.

While individual efficiency depends upon the body weight, physiology and other related factors, smoking provides the quickest onset of all kinds of consumption.

Edibles are Difficult to Dose

The task to establish the THC content of a batch of edibles is not an easy one and even seasoned distributors occasionally face difficulty capturing the promoted dose in their products.

As there is sufficient delay between ingestion and onset of effects, users might occasionally commit an over dose.

Conversely, smoked cannabis with its immediate effects enables the user to dose as per their high gently.

In legally operating markets, 10mg of THC is typically considered a standard dose that would usually offer mild effects.

On the other hand, a 100mg edible is perceived more potent and must be taken in multiple doses over time.

Remember, high amounts of THC will not kill you, but trust the writer to relish the next several years of your life more if you dose patiently and responsibly.

Edibles: 45 minutes-2 hours

Cannabis edibles are metabolized through a different mechanism than herb smoking.

Once these edibles hit the stomach, they are passed on to the liver where THC transmutes into 11-hydroxy-THC.

Typically, the onset of a high is about 30 to 40 times longer for eaten against smoked cannabis!

However, the impact and length of the edible-delivered psychoactive effects are visibly greater than when it is smoked.

This is because of the comparatively slow absorption of 11-hydroxy-THC from the gastrointestinal tract.

It is important to mention that edibles can give a high that lasts between six and nine hours, depending on the intake as well as the consumer’s tolerance level.

It is three to five times the length of the weed’s high when smoked.

The good cousin of cannabis sativa plant, Cannabinoid which is high in CBD and does not give you psychoactive effects also offer medicinal edibles.

CBD Hemp Oil Edibles

CBD infused lollipops are edible treats that would give the health of hemp oil blended with natural fruit flavors.

When sourced from licensed manufacturers, these candies are Gluten free, GMO-free and solvent free.

One example of where you can get such edibles from is Vaping360 who have products like the CBDFX capsules which are organic, non-GMO and gluten free.

Typically, the popular tastes of edibles are watermelon, green apple, tangerine and raspberry.

CBD hemp oil candy edibles are made from high-grade cannabis and hemp oil extract cultivated organically without any pesticides.

A manufacturer with market authorization would always offer botanical extracts imbued into a nutritious toffee so that the user can reap the medical benefits of CBD oil without having the psychoactive elements of THC.                

Individuals can also source little bite-sized hemp edibles made from organic extracts from Europe.

These chew-able edibles are infused with Vitamin B12, caffeine and Vitamin B6. However, due to the high concentration of caffeine content (100mg), it is not recommended to take any more than two at once.