Cannabis Edibles – Tips for a Pleasant and Safe Experience

by Hunter N. Maxwell

I have been enjoying edibles for several years now, and find they have many benefits – from helping me relax in the evening to getting in a good workout and even writing an article!

There are hundreds of good quality edibles available in the form of hard and soft candy, chocolates, mints, drinks, tinctures, capsules, etc. Most taste really good and some are absolutely delightful! They are easy to travel with and keep for months, even longer.

Over the years many people have asked me for recommendations about consuming edibles. Here is what I tell them.  

• Take your time. Edibles are metabolized uniquely in your body and will affect you differently than it does others. Do not rely on dosing recommendation from others; you will need to find your own path.

• Start with a SMALL dose and then wait 45 to 60 minutes before ingesting more. Cannabis is NOT like alcohol, and you need to understand how it works with your body. How it works for/in someone else IS NOT an indicator of how it will work in you.

• Read the package carefully and understand how much THC is contained in a serving. I once ate a gummy over the course of 90 minutes that I thought was 3.6 servings but was actually 36 servings. It was not a pleasant experience to say the least. I was begging my friend to take me to the hospital because I really thought I was dying.

• Understand the type of edible your taking. Sativa will give you a little pep in your step and make you chatty and bubbly. Hybrids will make you relaxed but still able to focus and do some deep thinking. An Indica will put you “indacouch” and you can easily find several hours slipping by you without a care in the world.

• 5mg of THC is usually a good starting dose. Most edibles are 10mg of THC per piece, so simply cut the edible in half and you are good to go. If you are eating a large edible, do your best to approximate how much equals 5mg. If you are not sure, go slow and don’t bite off more than you can chew, or I promise you will regret it.

• In my experience, taking an edible on an empty stomach is the best way to gauge how it will affect you. Taking it with food will impact how and when your body digests the edible, making it hard to pinpoint when and how it will work in your system. I once had a very large meal then ingested some THC via a tincture. I felt absolutely nothing until about 10 hours later when I arrived at the airport and was so stoned, I could not speak for almost three hours.

• Depending on the type of edible you are consuming, the time it takes for you to feel the effect will vary. I find that tinctures, drinks, dissolvable tabs, capsules and mints work faster than candies and chocolates.

• Ingesting cannabis is a MUCH different experience than smoking or vaping cannabis so, again, GO SLOW.

• Drink plenty of water while using edibles as they tend to cause dehydration.

• Consuming alcohol while taking edibles is perfectly fine, but don’t drink to get drunk. Consume your alcohol slowly and make sure to mix in a LOT of water.

• If you are drunk DO NOT ingest any THC. This is a recipe for a miserable experience.

• If you are going to eat while taking edibles, I recommend eating after you are finished taking them. If you want to snack over the course of an evening and mix in some edibles, that works, too. The point I am trying to make is avoid large meals before or during your edible experience.

• When it comes to edibles, you tend to get what you pay for in terms of taste. Obviously, there are always exceptions, but the better tasting edibles typically cost more.

• Ask the budtender at the dispensary for recommendations. A good budtender will know the products they sell and should be able to steer you down the right path.