Cannabis is a versatile plant that has been shown to provide many medicinal benefits in addition to recreational enjoyment amongst users. The most common method of consuming the herb is still through smoking (or vaping), however, more users are taking to ingesting it as well. Eating marijuana raw won’t provide you with any of the benefits of the plant, as they’re activated when it’s heated (also known as decarboxylation) and the THC from the plant doesn’t enter the bloodstream but is instead expelled from the body. However, adding it to your foods and beverages is a great way to enjoy it.
It seems like new edible varieties and infused- beverages are popping up in the market place every day now, which may pose the question, what’s the difference between eating weed and smoking it?
Other than the effects of smoking, the main difference between the two is an immediate high versus a more longer lasting one.
When marijuana is ingested, it takes between 30 minutes and three hours to kick in and offers effects that can lasts for approximately six to ten hours. However, the effects can be pretty intense, especially if you’re a new user.
The Digestion Process
Your liver transforms ordinary THC into a more psychedelic component. From the liver, the marijuana goes to the stomach for processing. Thus, when the high does hit, the psychedelic component is stronger than the inhaled variety.
In order to ingest marijuana safely, first-timers are recommended to consume no more than 5 milligrams of THC in their brownies or candy bars. Those with a built-up tolerance may safely eat the legal limit of 10 milligrams.
Marijuana can be baked into brownies, infused into butters and oils, or infused into salsa, pancake syrup, or barbecue sauce.
Ways To Eat Weed
Infusing marijuana into drinks, foods, and snacks first starts with making breaking up the nugs and ensuring that no seeds within the leaves. To make a cannabis infusion, simply place your weed in a bowl with a lid. Next, pour over it cooking oil, salad dressings, or any type of butter. Finally, allow it to steep for at least 24 hours so that the medium is completely infused. Then you can cook whatever you want in it.
You can use the oil and salad dressing as a marinade for meats and vegetables. Heat activates the THC in the plant, which is why it’s smoked. With that in mind, you can cook your foods pretty much as you normally would.
Edibles are more commonly found in candies and baked goods. You can infuse your butter with cannabis (making “cannabutter”) before adding it to brownies, cakes, pies, and candies like fudge or no-bake cookies. Dessert toppings like caramel, strawberry, or chocolate can be infused with weed the same way you would infuse oils, salad dressings, or butter. You can even infuse ice cream with weed.
Drinks are another great way to add marijuana to your lifestyle. Many people infuse cucumber, lemon, mint, and orange into their drinking water. Using this method, infusing water, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, juices, and other drinks is possible with marijuana as well. You pretty much just infuse your preferred drink for about 24 hours with your cannabis leaves (remember to watch out for seeds), and you’re good to go. Note that infusing hard liquor isn’t recommended due to the danger of mixing drugs (remember, marijuana is a drug after all) with liquor.
Cannabis has been shown to have many healing properties, and it’s all-natural. And adding it to foods and drinks is a convenient way to avoid of the still-popular stigma of “getting high”.