As recreational marijuana continues to become lawful in more states, individuals are raising more concerns regarding the effects of the medication on overall wellbeing. Smoking marijuana is 1 thing, but what about edibles--or even swallowing the medication in foods like brownies, gummies, muffins, doughnuts and even peanut butter? Here's what you need to know about how cannabis impacts your body when you consume it in food.
That can be a big problem, says Stolbach, since people might not realize how much they have consumed until they begin to feel sick.
"Something that is important to remember about edibles is that absorption is unpredictable," states Stolbach. "People do not experience peak impact for some time after ingestion, [which could be] minutes --but usually hours."
The same as food or medications, THC consumed through edibles is absorbed through the walls of your intestines. The more food that is in your system--say, you ate a marijuana brownie as dessert after a major dinner out--the longer it will take for the THC to get absorbed. This is where edibles are majorly different from a joint: When you smoke THC, it instantly goes into your bloodstream, whereas you may not feel the full impact of THC you've consumed until hours later, says Stolbach.
While a desirable effect of THC would be to feel more relaxed,'' says Stolbach, things can quickly have a turn for the worse if you inadvertently overindulge. "Frequent Illness symptoms might be feelings of anxiety, a quick pulse and stress," he says. "These responses may get really intense."
The type of edible you eat can affect how your body responds to it. THC is fat, meaning it dissolves in fats to be consumed in your intestines. That is the reason why lots of edibles are vegetarian foods, such as brownies or cookies, because they're made with THC-infused fats. "The thing that makes me worried about [THC] dissolved in butter is that when the solution is unequally [blended ], a few parts of your brownie or cookie cutter will have much more THC than other components," says Stolbach.
Some countries require weed edibles to be labeled with the amount of THC per serving--for example individually wrapped packs of gummies. But lots of bakeries and facilities producing cannabis edibles may not be tightly regulated in regards to how much THC is in each serving of the item. And even if they are labeled, just as with nutritional supplements, you can't always expect the amounts in the absence of strict regulation. Consumers should do their homework to ensure the source of any edible they're consuming is credible, in addition to be mindful of where it's coming from. It is technically illegal to sell any meals with THC across country lines, in most cases, based on the FDA.
Thus, providing you do not overindulge and stick to the legislation, can edibles ever be considered healthy? "My recommendation is to steer clear of inflammatory ingredients, such as artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners, gluten and sugar free when picking edibles," she says. "Cannabis is a potent anti-inflammatory, so it doesn't make sense to combine [it] with inflammatory ingredients."
Manufacturers are now producing everything from protein powders to chocolate bars into granola snacks laced together with THC, which makes it feasible to consume edibles while adhering to a nutritious diet. If you do want to give edibles a try, begin small with low doses, so be sure they're coming from a bundle that clearly labels the THC concentration, and eat them at a time when you won't need to be working a car for a few hours, says Stolbach. "Give it a while to see the way your body handles it," he says. "Attempt to minimize your stimulus and unwind."
That said, Stolbach doesn't advocate edibles as a health food. He says that he hasn't seen evidence that they make you fitter or treat a disorder better than other medications out there--and he has great anxiety over edibles getting in the wrong hands. Often, edibles can be packed to look like regular candies or treats, enticing children. If you're maintaining edibles into your home and have kids, make sure they're contained in child-resistant packaging and retained somewhere out of reach.
