What Are Edibles? Benefits, Side Effects, Dosage & Safety Tips In 2024

The marijuana plant has had a sour reputation for a long time, with agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration detaining those selling and smoking it. However, we’ve seen governments authorize and eliminate medical marijuana bans in various states over the last decade or two.

This has allowed individuals and sellers to make a life by selling and supplying cannabis food products. People who consume marijuana for medical purposes praise the benefits of pain alleviation, mood enhancement improved mental health^[1], and general health improvement.

Smoking marijuana is the most prevalent method of using cannabis. However, people have started infusing marijuana into food products.  Cannabis products are sold in a variety of forms by retailers and distributors. For example, tinctures, teas, capsules, oils, and edibles are examples.

Marijuana edibles are the least understood of this range of goods. And we’ve come to clear things up. So, if you’re interested in learning more about marijuana edibles, read on.

What Are Edibles?

Do you know that adult-use marijuana edibles revenues in the U.S. alone were estimated to be worth around 3.6 billion dollars^[2] in 2021? And that number is set to go up to 8.24 billion by 2025.

This shows that consumers of cannabis are growing by the day after the Drug Enforcement Administration legalized medical marijuana. People are fond of smoking cannabis as it is a prevalent usage method. However, people now consume edibles more discretely to consume marijuana.

Cannabis-infused edibles are food products containing Cannabis sativa. They can be added to just about any edible product, including confectionery. People eat baked, cooked, and soaked in water (tea) edibles, among other things.

Marijuana edibles are any marijuana food product that is ingested and passes through the digestive system. Homemade edible products are widely available.

Attention For CBD Edibles

CBD gummies, cannabis cookies, cakes, teas, candies, chocolate, and drinks are some examples of marijuana edibles available. Marijuana edibles such as edible gummies are typically harmless, although there is some gray area for edible dosages in homemade products.

And this may be the source of the problem. For instance, if the edibles supplier does not know how to measure the cannabis utilized or laced it with other drugs to improve potency, this could turn fatal. 

There is a risk of accidentally overindulging, experiencing adverse effects, or addiction to unknown drugs that may have been added in such a case. In this regard, homemade edibles are possibly the riskiest. 

That said, to be on the safe side, avoid negative effects such as panic attacks, anxiety surges, or any health issue that may arise as overdose symptoms. Stick to the calibrated edibles. These are like CBD gummies with potency, constituents, and dosage directions clearly laid out.

Nevertheless, if you would still like to indulge in homemade cannabis brownies, ensure that you educate yourself on the edible dosages as you make them. Get a competent dosage chart that will guide you through making any edible at home.

Benefits Of Edibles

Consuming cannabis edibles generally offers the human body the same benefits as smoking marijuana. However, since you are ingesting them, the time it takes to kick in might be a while longer since the cannabis needs to be digested. If you have any concerns about getting high, use CBD edibles. What are CBD edibles? CBD gummies won’t get you high as opposed to THC edibles that may.

With that being said, here are some of the positive effects you will celebrate with edibles:

Relaxation

One of the benefits baked goods with marijuana will offer the body is an overall relaxing effect. But this depends on the strain of marijuana^[3] used in those edibles. There are generally two popular strains; Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica. 

CBD and THC are the active ingredients that cause relaxations on a deeper, more scientific level. They may even ease anxiety and alleviate depression^[4].

Medical marijuana is made from Cannabis indica and chemotypes of Cannabis sativa, whereas CBD comes from strains of Cannabis sativa, also known as industrial hemp.

The molecule THC causes the euphoric effects of edibles and other forms of cannabis. According to an older study^[5], THC can affect mood and analgesia. Sativa has a higher THC level than indica, except for industrial hemp, which generally contains no more than 0.3% THC.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is another chemical found in cannabis. CBD is an anti-anxiety substance.

According to a 2019 study^[6], more than 79% of patients with anxiety or sleep problems who took CBD saw their anxiety levels drop throughout the study. A second study^[7] on adolescents with social anxiety backs up the findings that CBD lowers anxiety levels significantly.

More research is needed, but this gives scientists reason to be optimistic.

Anti-seizure Benefits

CBD has also been shown to have anti-seizure properties, implying that it could be used to treat epilepsy. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration approved an isolated CBD extract called Epidiolex for managing two forms of epilepsy associated with Lennox-Gestault syndrome and Dravet syndrome.

Research on the use of CBD to enhance seizure control in people with particular epileptic syndromes is cited in a 2017 source^[8].

Edibles could be one method of ingesting cannabis to help with seizures. However, additional research is needed before patients with epilepsy consider using cannabis to treat their disease. And, a clear dosing schedule needs to be made. 

Dosages of Epidiolex for resistant seizure control are 20 mg/kg of CBD isolate, with a kg being 2.2 lbs.

Pain Relief

CBD may also be used as a pain treatment and has anti-inflammatory qualities. As a result, it’s a standard therapy option for people who suffer from chronic pain where the pain is from inflammation.

According to research^[9], medical cannabis patients with chronic pain who consume common baked goods laced with cannabis have better pain control. The amount of pain control achieved depends on the amount of THC consumed and the type of pain.

Inflammatory pain can be relieved by CBD, but the relief of other types of pain using CBD is still under research.

Arthritis, cancer pain, fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain are conditions that patients use edibles and other types of medicinal cannabis to alleviate. Often the edibles contain a mixture of THC/CBD. Edibles made with full-spectrum oil will have a ratio of THC: to CBD.

Other edibles have high THC contents because of the chemotype used in the edible mixture. A chemotype is simply a cannabis plant that has the same physical characteristics but a different cannabinoid composition with different levels of terpenes and flavonoids.

Additional Benefits

Additionally, these edible cannabis products may help ease muscle spasms^[10], nausea, and vomiting^[11] while also improving the overall quality of sleep.

It is, in fact, true that pharmaceutical companies^[12] are already producing oral preparations of cannabis-derived therapies such as Sativex. This is a nasal spray containing equal THC and CBD levels that are used to treat pain and muscular stiffness.

Difference Between CBD And THC Edibles

CBD edibles contain CBD as the active ingredient. Cookies, chocolates, CBD gummies, and other CBD edibles are available on the market. The benefits of CBD edibles are similar to those of any other CBD product. 

Many people use them to receive the wide range of health benefits that this substance provides. Taking CBD in oil or tincture form is the most prevalent method of administration, although edibles are rising in popularity.

CBD edibles may come in three varieties, isolates, broad-spectrum, and full spectrum. Isolates contain only CBD, and broad-spectrum contains CBD plus other hemp constituents minus THC. Lastly, full-spectrum CBD edibles have everything, including THC, but in levels less than 0.3%, the legal limit allowed.

THC, like CBD, has a variety of therapeutic benefits^[13]. What states are edibles legal in? It is, however, forbidden in most states since it can create intoxicating effects in humans. Medical marijuana states allow edibles with higher THC quantities in their edibles. A lab must test and verify THC content, but they are legal to sell in 36 states.

A standard dose of THC is 5 mg with a recommendation not to exceed 40 mg/day^[14]. Consuming marijuana edibles provides the full effects of THC with a high potential for overdose thus, caution with dosing needs to be observed.

Edibles Vs Smoking: Which Is Riskier?

The most significant distinction between smoking marijuana and eating edibles is the duration of the effects. Smoked cannabis peaks rapidly and dissipates just as quickly, whereas edibles have a lag time while they are being digested and a slower drop in effects with a longer duration. If you are smoking marijuana for pain, you will have to smoke again after a short while to regain the pain-relieving effect.

Smoking marijuana can also cause bronchitis and lung irritation^[15]. Continuous cannabis usage has not been linked to the development^[16] of lung cancer.

Marijuana edibles have the advantage of not exposing you to the cancer-causing compounds released when plant tissue is burned. However, it’s much easier to overeat and experience overdose symptoms. 

Edible Dosing Chart

Here is a breakdown of how you may dose THC edibles according to weight, experience, and health conditions.

THC Dosages By Weight:

Weight Group	Mild effects	Moderate effects	Strong effects
Up to 100lbs	1 mg	1.5-2 mg	2.5 mg
100lbs to 220lbs	2.5 mg	3.5 mg	5 mg
More than 220lbs	5 mg	7 mg	10 mg

THC By Experience:

Experience	Mild effects	Moderate effects	Strong effects
Novice user	Less than 5 mg	8 mg	10 mg
Intermediate user	10 mg	15 mg	30 mg
Expert user	30 mg	50 mg	100 mg

THC Dosages On Health Conditions:

Condition to use	Beginner user	Intermediate user	Experienced user
Recreational use	2 mg	8 mg	15 mg
Appetite stimulant	2.5 mg	5 mg	10 mg
Better Sleep and anxiety	2.5 mg	7.5 mg	15 mg
Chronic pain	2 mg thrice a day	5 mg thrice a day	10 mg thrice a day

Higher doses may be required by more experienced users suffering from intractable chronic pain and such doses should be carefully titrated and monitored for any side effects.

Should side effects occur, stop the doses, get treated for toxicity, and recalibrate the dose under the guidance of a professional.

What Affects THC Doses

THC is the psychoactive component of the hemp plant, and its amount is critical since it might change your behavior. For example, if the dose is too high, you might not be able to operate heavy machinery or drive since you’ll be drowsy.

As a result, proper dosing is critical to ensuring that you remain functional if necessary.

Factors that affect THC doses include:

Your Medical Requirements

THC is essential for calming the mind and allowing you to sleep, but a dose of more than one milligram may have the opposite effect.

Your physician will dose the THC based on your medical needs, which may include relaxation, alertness, or sleep, among other things.

Your Current Health Situation

Are you aware that certain mental diseases, such as schizophrenia, should not be treated with psychedelics like THC? These psychotropic drugs can change how your brain works, making your mental situation worse and amplifying your hallucinations.

Before starting to use any THC edible, a thorough medical evaluation is needed to get the proper dosage.

In addition, if you are taking any other medications that may interact poorly with THC, your doctor may adjust your dose accordingly.

Are Edibles Bad For You?

The dangers associated with edibles are only linked to destructive practices such as overdosing. An edible can be bad for you if the dosage is beyond what your system can handle, which leads to negative effects that could last for several hours.

Yet another way that edibles could be harmful to you is if you have any pre-existing conditions and are on medication that the marijuana may interact with and react badly. 

Marijuana is metabolized by a liver enzyme that is also needed to metabolize many medications posing a significant risk for drug-drug interaction^[17] and necessitating a drug alert for this type of interaction.

Alcohol and several drugs, such as blood thinners, can interact with edibles and other forms of cannabis. These combinations may amplify THC’s effects or impede the drug’s functions. The exact side effects that edibles may cause are listed below.

CBD Edibles Side Effects

The side effects that may arise from an overdose of CBD edibles are:

• Fatigue
• Reduced appetite
• Diarrhea
• Drowsiness
• Dry mouth

There is a high potential for side effects that may arise from an overdose of THC edibles which include:

• Panic attacks
• Nausea
• Paranoia
• Impaired motor ability
• Hallucinations

Risks Of Edibles

The risks associated with many edibles are:

Overdosing And Overindulging

Since there is really no set way to calibrate how much THC or CBD is put in homemade brownies, overdosing may pose a risk. The result may be that the brownie is too strong, and since one does not feel the kick immediately, they might be tempted to overindulge in a couple more. 

The effects may be devastating, and the person might have to wait out several hours for the psychoactive high to drop.

Long-term Health Issues

The long-term usage of THC-based edibles has adverse effects on your memory and cognitive health. Even so, if you are predisposed to any psychological issues like Schizophrenia, the use of edibles might make psychotic episodes intense.

THC usage in teenagers^[18] whose brains are still developing raises the chances of them developing mental health issues, and it may also impair their memory and impede learning^[19]. 

Addiction may also arise from the continual usage of THC, but not CBD edibles. And since most of the edibles in the market do not follow any standardized edible dosage chart, you may indulge in various potencies over and over. The eventual result might be addiction warranting addiction treatment. Despite this being very rare, it still is possible that a person gets^[20] a marijuana dependency.

Accidental Ingestion Of Cannabis Edibles

There is really no way to distinguish a food item with cannabis and one without because they all look the same. And unless you are aware it is CBD or THC infused, you may accidentally ingest an edible without knowing. This is most prevalent among kids, pets, and unsuspecting adults who know nothing about edibles.

Kids, animals, and others may accidentally overindulge or consume cannabis-laced candy, cookies, breath mints, and other products they find lying around. Candies like gummies come in exciting and attractive colors and flavors, tempting kids to eat more than one.

In jurisdictions that legalized cannabis, there was a 30.3% rise in cannabis-related calls^[21] to poison control centers between 2005 and 2011. The intake of edibles by accident poses a potential drug alert. 

The Children’s Hospital Colorado advises parents to treat marijuana as other medications and keep them away from children to prevent them from consuming marijuana accidentally.

How Long Do Edibles Last?

An oral dose of CBD will take approximately two hours before the effects are felt in terms of increased relaxation. Generally, these effects may last 5-6 hours but do not re-dose until 24 hours have passed. 

If you find that your previous day’s dose was not high enough to achieve the desired relaxation or effect, increase the dose by 5 mg until the desired effect is noticed.

Eating marijuana has an estimated 12-hour-long effect, with residual effects lasting up to 24 hours. However, this could vary depending on the potency of the cannabis used. The longer-lasting effects could affect the activities you need to finish the next day.

However, medicinal patients who report that cannabis improves their sleep and relieves pain may benefit from the longer duration of edibles.

Tips For Safely Consuming Edibles

Here is the guideline that will help you get edible benefits and avoid the negative effects.

CBD Edibles

When it comes to CBD edibles, you need to buy the products from a trusted seller. This is to ascertain that the CBD potency labeled on the product is accurate without any unknown substances and other medications that may lead to addiction or other adverse effects.

Secondly, after getting quality CBD products, you need to take note of the potency. Ensure that you are taking the dosage a healthcare professional has prescribed. Avoid taking alcohol after eating edible marijuana as this poses risks of alleviating the psychoactive effects of THC.

Lastly, always use the CBD edible for its intended purpose. Ideally, when you buy the product, it will be stated on the package.

THC Edibles

Both THC and CBD products have the same safety tips because they all offer therapeutic body benefits. If you are using THC edibles, be keen to note how much THC is included.

Since you do not want to trigger any hallucinations and psychotic episodes, stick to a safe dosage and potency. If you have any mental health condition like schizophrenia, refrain from using psychoactive THC edibles, as this will just worsen your situation.

Bottom Line

Edible cannabis products come in many forms and may have several advantages, including reducing chronic sickness and anxiety symptoms. These items, however, may have negative effects, interact with other drugs, and take a long time to work.

You could be able to legally utilize medicinal or recreational cannabis goods depending on where you live. However, only buy from legal, trustworthy dispensaries that sell quality products that have been tested for pureness and efficacy and preferably have been third-party tested in a lab.

Frequently Asked Questions

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