4 Benefits That Cannabis-Infused Edibles Enjoy Over Smoking
To ingest, or inhale, that is the question.
No, it’s not quite Shakespeare, but it’s still the debate that seemingly everyone is having. Especially since Cannabis 2.0 kicked off in Canada, making edibles legal.
While there might not appear to be all that big a difference on the surface between eating and smoking cannabis, make no mistake about it: there is. This difference doesn’t just apply to how the two delivery methods bring cannabis into your body, either. It also involves the effect they proceed to have on you after the fact.
To clarify, it’s not a contest of one consumption method being superior to the other. Eating cannabis has a few benefits over smoking it, and smoking cannabis has a few benefits over eating it. Today, we’re simply going to tackle the benefits that edibles enjoy — four of them, to be precise.
1. Edibles are introduced to the body through the gastrointestinal tract.
When you smoke cannabis, the chemicals make their way straight through your bloodstream to your brain, then to the rest of your body. Conversely, when you consume a cannabis-infused edible, the THC gets absorbed into your bloodstream through your digestive tract, before undergoing a first metabolic pass in your liver. Then, and only then, does it enter your general circulation. Why does this matter? Well, in being processed this way instead, your liver transforms the cannabinoid THC into a more potent THC form that’s inclined to wield a stronger effect on you. A more sedative one, too.
2. Eating an edible will last longer, resulting in a more intense feeling.
Because the absorption process outlined above occurs less quickly than it does through your lungs — taking upwards of 30 minutes to an hour before reaching your brain — the effects you’re bound to feel after consuming an edible will usually be more gradual in onset. They’re also likely to last much longer than from smoking or vaping. Think anywhere from from six to eight hours. Peak blood levels occur in edibles that contain THC around three hours. It’s at this point the effects promise to be at peak intensity. As with onset time, the length of an edible high itself is contingent on numerous factors, from the dose to its potency. Your metabolism, your weight, your overall tolerance and other individual factors could further affect duration.
3. Obviously, edibles are much easier on the lungs.
Despite the underlying mechanisms and correlated risks differing quite dramatically from those related to tobacco smoking, whether you like it or not, smoking cannabis could have an adverse effect or two on your respiratory health. It’s nothing pleasant and we’ll move right on, but the fact remains that associations with airway inflammation, barotrauma and obstructive pulmonary issues have been reported in various studies. Research in recent years also indicates that while cigarette smoking is in decline, marijuana use is going in the opposite direction. In turn, those who smoke cannabis account for a substantially higher rate of tobacco use than those who do not.
4. Edibles are conducive to more of a body buzz.
The sedative effect we mentioned at the end of our first point is felt more intensely in your muscles in comparison to an inhalant. And, considering the extent to which edibles are capable of relaxing your body, this delivery system is becoming more and more favourable among those seeking to manage symptoms like joint or muscle pain. What’s more, both CBD and THC usually work great with pain relief, and edibles can deliver both cannabinoids in spades. That’s why some doctors are themselves even saying that the greater potency of CBD- and THC-laced edibles work to deliver faster pain relief, and since edibles are known to last longer than your average hit from the joint or pipe, the pain relief subsequently remains in your system longer.
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This article was written by Chris Metler.
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This article was published February 25, 2020.