In the context of cannabis, Weedmaps informs us edibles are any food infused with cannabis. Edibles can take the form of brownies, cookies, pasta, cakes, bars, etc… Basically anything that calls for oil or butter in a recipe can be infused with cannabis. Drinks may be infused with cannabis as well… It does not make sense to call a beverage an edible though!
Why prefer an edible? Ingesting cannabis via food consumption causes the cannabis compounds to be absorbed through the stomach and liver. Weedmaps informs us this actually delays the onset of effects. While the onset is delayed; however, the potency of the effects and the duration of the effects are increased. The effects of an edible may last four to six hours.
My first experience with edibles was baking brownies in college. I took a dub bag of swag that I had and sautéed it in butter. Strained the wed flakes and used the butter an a simple box brownie recipe. I think I was high… I was not sure. I had no clue how much flowers to use, how long to sauté it, and/ or what temperature to do it on, etc. Not to mention I was using shwag of which only God knows the origin and quality.
The history of cannabis edibles is always comical to me. You will hear stories of 4,000 years ago in India…. 3,000 years ago in China, perfected European originating recipes hundreds of years ago… The simple truth is cannabis has been around in all cultures on all continents across the globe. Placing emphasis on any culture for being responsible for it just shows the cultural bias one is pushing forth.
More precise than my college brownies, today edibles sold by dispensaries and companies are definitely more science based. First and foremost most edibles can inform you of the precise dosage being ingested. This is a great benefit. Experiment with different brands. The Belgium Bites I grabbed from Select Co-Op are 100mg THC and .50 CBD. Those had me and my lady quite relaxed… Damn near too relaxed for any evening fun… While the 300 mg Boombars we split (150 mg a piece) barely had an effect on us.
The key with edibles for the inexperienced is to accept the wait time. With smoking one may be accustomed to hit it and get it (the effects). You may eat an edible and in 10 minutes feel like it is bullshit. I strongly suggest waiting before popping another one. I try to plan it out by ingesting one 20 to 30 minutes before I actually want to begin chilling to time when the effects hit.
