So you want to try edibles, huh? Sounds easy enough. Just choose how you want to ingest your THC and buckle up for the ride, right? Wrong. If you want to have an amazing edible experience, there’s a few precautionary steps you should take before diving into a body high.
Evaluate your smoking history
What kind of smoker are you? Daily? Social? Special occasions? If you’ve never smoked cannabis before, that should be your starting point, as the high from going straight to an edible might be pretty intense for you. The point here is to have a basic understanding of your THC tolerance in order to find the dose the best works for you, with as little trial and error as possible. A general rule of thumb is, the higher your THC tolerance, the higher your dose. First timer ediblers who smoke an average amount should aim for 2-5mg, while those who smoke more frequently can aim for 5-10mg to start.
Consider your meals
One of the biggest factors impacting how fast an edible will kick in is how much food is in your system. For example, if you’ve eaten a large spaghetti dinner before taking an edible, your body needs to digest your big meal before it starts breaking down the THC, delaying the edibles’ effects. That’s when your friend usually says, “I’m not feeling anything,” causing you to double up and be out of your mind when it finally does hit. Consider taking an edible before you eat, knowing it will take on average around 40-60 minutes to hit, or up the dose slightly if you know you’ll be taking it with a meal.
Do you prefer Indica or Sativa?
Knowing your preference will help you determine which edible is best for you. If Indicas make you tired, it won’t matter how many milligrams are in the edible, it will still probably make you feel drowsy. But if Indica is your thing, you don’t want to be surprised by a Sativa-dominant edible that will jack you up. Knowing what strain is in your edible is equally important to knowing how much you’re consuming.
Your preferred method
Gummies, chocolates, cookies, brownies. The marijuana edible industry is booming and it appears there’s a new type of edible on shelves everyday. Regardless of what your favorite snack is, stick with something store-bought so you know you’re dealing with an accurate dose. You don’t want to make yourself brownies for the first time, only to accidentally have one part of the batch contain 20mg of THC per square.
Doubling up
As mentioned before, resist the urge to double up. Yes, we know you’re excited to be trying edibles for the first time, but trust in the process. Edibles take time to kick in, and if you’re not “feeling it” immediately, that’s okay. It’s normal. Give it an hour and a half to be safe. If you’re not feeling anything after that, you can try taking another. Otherwise, take one and enjoy the ride.
