Everything You Need to Know About Cannabis Edibles

cookies cannabis

Television cooking shows, cookbooks, and commercially sold products, cannabis edibles seem to be everywhere. Maybe you are using marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes and are curious about edibles. Or, you’ve never used it and thought this was the way to go for a first-timer.

Either way, there are a few facts you need to know about this form of marijuana and how it’s different from other ways to use the substance. To help you out, here’s a basic beginner’s guide to cannabis edibles.

What are Cannabis Edibles?

 

So what exactly are cannabis edibles? Well, just like cannabis oils, creams, and other marijuana products, cannabis edibles are products derived from the cannabis plant. Specifically, edible cannabis products are products that can be eaten and contain cannabis as a key ingredient. They’re edible like any food, providing unique benefits over other cannabis products and consumption methods.

When consuming marijuana edibles, for example, there are lots of different options to choose from, including cookies, brownies, candies, and more, and lots of new products are being released all the time.

Another advantage is that while the effects of smoking or vaporizing cannabis can be experienced almost immediately, often within a few minutes, the onset of effects from consuming marijuana-infused edibles takes significantly longer. It can take from 45 minutes up to three hours to feel anything. The length of time before a person feels the effects is due to several factors. These can include their metabolism, any medications they may have taken, and their level of use. Beginners often feel it faster than someone who uses marijuana often. Once the effect hits, it can last approximately four to six hours. The long-lasting results are a benefit for medicinal purposes and a plus for recreational users.

There are some edibles that you can make at home, but the best edibles you can find in marijuana dispensaries exist in every state where cannabis is legal.

cannabis edibles

Types of Infused Edibles

There are many different forms of edible cannabis products, from baked goods to marijuana candy edibles, THC gummy bear sweet treats, dark chocolate, and more.

Edibles are usually divided into two main categories: food and drink. Cannabis edible food products include any food items that are chewed and eaten in the usual way, such as:

Baked Goods

It’s been popular for many years to bake cannabis into baked goods like cakes and cookies, and baked goods continue to form a big part of the cannabis edibles market in modern times too. While being baked, cannabis undergoes a process called decarboxylation, which helps to activate the various cannabinoids and make them more potent. This helps certain cannabis-infused baked goods to offer more potent and satisfying high-like experiences to the consumer.

Brownies

Brownies are one of the most traditional options when it comes to marijuana-infused edibles. Cannabis users have been baking marijuana into brownies for years, and they can be a great treat to share with other recreational marijuana or medical marijuana users in your social circle, or to enjoy alone in moderation. The flavor of the chocolate and sugar usually overwhelms most of the cannabis taste, so infused brownies are also popular with people who don’t necessarily enjoy the typical aroma or flavor of cannabis.

Cookies

Cookies are another example of baked goods that can be prepared with marijuana as a key ingredient, and if you’re wondering “Where can I get edibles like marijuana cookies?” there are an increasing number of CBD stores and marijuana dispensaries offering these kinds of products for sale and delivery all over the globe in areas where marijuana edibles are legal.

Candy

Continuing the theme of sweet treats, it’s also common to find CBD infused candies and sugary snacks, perfect for those with a sweet tooth or people who want to take their own enjoyment of candy to a different level. As with cookies and brownies, the sweet, sugary nature of candy makes these kinds of CBD edibles really easy to eat, even for people who don’t usually appreciate the flavors and aromas of cannabis.

Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the most popular edible products in the edible marijuana market. To prepare CBD chocolate, the cannabis is usually baked first to trigger the decarboxylation process and activate the cannabinoids. It can then be infused into a chocolate recipe, or you can even make your own marijuana chocolate by baking your bud, melting chocolate, and then mixing the two together before letting the chocolate cool and set in molds or bars.

edible gummies

Gummies

CBD gummies allow cannabis enthusiasts and consumers to return to the fun of their childhood, eating classic sweet treats like gummy bears and other gummy shapes infused with the power of cannabinoids like delta 8 THC and CBD. The THC gummy market is growing all over the globe at the moment, with gummies being some of the most desirable THC products due to their huge range of fun and fruity flavors, as well as their bite-size and discreet nature.

Cannabutter and Oil

Cannabutter and cannabis oils are another area of the CBD edible market that has been expanding a lot recently. These products aren’t really designed to be eaten on their own. Instead, they can be used in a wide range of recipes. You can make cannabutter and bake CBD brownies more easily, for example, or use cannabis oils to make your favorite CBD tea and cold brew recipes without too much need for preparation.

Cannabis-Infused Drinks

There’s also an entire market for cannabis-infused drinks, as well as edible food items. Cannabis drinks range from CBD mineral waters to fruit juices, cold brews, teas, beers, coffee, cocktails, and sodas, offering nearly limitless options.

Tinctures

Cannabis tinctures are alcohol-based cannabis extracts. They’re usually provided in small bottles with droppers, allowing the user to accurately measure out individual drops of each tincture, and they can be consumed directly or added into different cannabis edible recipes for people who want to learn more about smokeless cannabis consumption.

Capsules

You can also consider the option of cannabis, CBD, or THC capsules in addition to delta 8 gummies and infused cookies. These resemble small pills with pre-measured cannabis extracts, easily swallowed with water. They can be paired with meals or used alone and offer a simple, smoke-free way for people to consume marijuana and experience its effects in their own bodies.

Can You Get High From Edibles?

what are edibles

The amount of THC versus CBD in an edible makes a difference in how high a person will feel. The greater the THC content, the more of a mind and body-altering state. The opposite happens with more CBD. Food products with a high concentration of CBD and low to no THC are best for medicinal users. There’s no high.

For newbies to cannabis edibles, the best first-time food is a clearly labeled store-bought product. The general rule is to start with a low dosage of THC, from 1 mg to 5 mg. Eat one dose and wait at least a couple of hours, preferably as long as 24 hours. The longer the waiting period between doses, the better you can tell how your body reacts. Increased effects of edibles can be triggered by eating more foods, drinking alcohol, or taking medications. These are some of the reasons why it’s best to see how the low dose makes you feel over several hours or so before eating any more.

The variability in edible dosage is a significant concern when it comes to cannabis edibles. This is especially true for home-cooked foods. It’s much easier to overdose from an edible than it is from smoking marijuana or other forms of use. Because it takes time for the effects of a consumable to be perceived, a person might mistake a lack of feeling, meaning he didn’t eat enough of the substance to get high and consume more. This dramatically increases the chances of an overdose.

Too much cannabis can lead to hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, psychosis, and motor impairment. For first-time users, it’s best to start with a low dose and with other people around, just in case.

Regulations and Edible Cannabis

Like other forms of use, laws, and rules concerning edible cannabis vary from the state-level laws down to the local, and across state lines. In general, consume cannabis edible privately and away from kids in areas where it’s legal.

Like smoking and vaping marijuana, public use of edibles is basically illegal. This includes vehicles, whether it’s your own or someone else’s. Edible forms of cannabis may be easier to hide, but it’s not worth the risk of getting caught. Before trying cannabis edibles for the first time, know the laws regarding use in your location.

How to Make Cannabis Edibles at Homeweed edibles

Making your own cannabis edibles is not that difficult with the knowledge of a few basic cooking techniques. Determining marijuana concentration in homemade food is difficult, despite careful measuring. You can become more proficient at it over time and

 

with lots of practice. When learning to cook with cannabis, start with a very low dosage such as 1 mg. You may not taste the pot, but it’s there.

Excellent food choices to start with that you can easily make at home include marijuana-infused cooking oil and butter. Use them in place of your regular products. They may quickly become your go-to favorites. Once you grasp the basics of cannabis edibles, explore recipes from cookbooks, websites, or your favorite marijuana cooking show.

Written By

Ian Baker

Ian Baker does content and customer communications with Happy Leaf Collective through the website and blog. With 5 years of total experience working in cannabis niche, 3 were spent as a budtender in Arizona. 2 years ago, following his passion of writing and educating, Ian made the move into content and communications.