Everyone has their favorite way of getting stoned, whether it’s smoking a joint, a bowl, or eating a brownie; we’re all searching for the same effects, only smoking and edibles have somewhat different high’s. There are a lot of reasons as to why one would prefer smoking some bud over eating an edible and vice versa, but what is it that makes the two highs different?
The only things smoking up and eating an edible have in common is that they’re both THC infused and will get you high. When you smoke a joint, you’ll get high almost immediately, but if you eat an edible, it’ll take between 30 minutes to 2 hours for the buzz to kick in, so why’s that? Once we inhale smoke, it goes from our lungs to our bloodstream which contains over 80% water; marijuana is more of an oily substance, so when it hits our bloodstream, it won’t break down properly, instead it will look for the endocannabinoid receptors in our body to connect to, then hit our brain, and we’re buzzed within minutes.
When we eat an edible, the THC will go down to the stomach and then be metabolized in the liver converting it to 11-hydroxy-THC (which is a more water-soluble compound). So once it gets to the brain, it’ll get to the body faster making the buzz more powerful. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, the high might take some time to kick in, but when it does it’ll be wicked strong and last pretty long.
People love smoking because it’s quick, convenient, and well has been around for a long time. When you take that first puff of a joint or blunt, it immediately hits you and you feel great, and the buzz lasts for a decent amount of time. The main flaw with smoking is that inhaling anything, other than oxygen, into your body will affect your respiratory system. Minor flaws include the dank stank smell, not 100% publicly accepted, and if you have a high tolerance it takes a lot to get high. Edibles are pretty cool for one popular reason, they’re really discreet; nobody is going to scoff at you or stop you for eating a chocolate bar in public. When it comes to the healthier option, edibles have the upper hand because they can’t affect your lungs in anyway and some people just don’t like smoking; the only negative health issue is you might gain weight, but edibles can be healthy too.
It’s not just in brownies and cookies; nowadays, it’s in almost everything, or at least could be in almost everything. Your morning coffee, your salad at lunch, your steak dinner, or take-out could all be edibles; of course there’s all the edible candies, chips, drinks, and more. You can also get THC butter or THC drops and simply add it to your meal. The main flaw with edibles is the dosage, you never know how much you’re consuming and waiting is a bore, so your only option is to eat more, but now you’re asleep. Every edible package has the amount of mg on it, the standard amount for one person is between 15-25 mg, but if you’re a first-timer then probably around 10mg, if not less.
Another edible flaw is that it could take so long for the high to kick in, so your buzz could eventually kick in or just fade away. Some people have really intense highs from edibles when they consume too much, it’s truly unpredictable. The best opinion when it comes to edibles is to always start slow, you don’t want to go too hard on them; some people enjoy micro-dosing, so they’d have just a little to feel good, but not enough to get stoned. You could also make your own edibles, it’s just a long process, but totally worth it because you can put however much you want and make whatever you want. If you ever get too high from an edible, then just counteract the buzz with some CBD.
Smoking up alone or with your buddies is always a great time, but edibles are pretty cool too once you get the hang of it; just go easy.
