What makes edibles good?

The answer to this has to do with the spectrum of intensity. Some people don’t want mellow some people want intense. Depending on the level they’re at. Before we dive into the top 12 edibles on the market today, let’s go over what makes edibles so intense.

Introduction

Edibles are known for eliciting a strong body high with extended time frames, compared to the effects you might get from say, puffing a joint. Sometimes edibles can last from four to six hours -- which can be awesome or awful, the kick though is that edibles take longer to kick in. When you smoke, you often can start to feel the effects within minutes, and the peak hits around 30 to 60 minutes After about 2 hours, the effects will begin to fade. Another point to note is that

when you smoke, you absorb more cannabinoids, than you do from edibles. So why are there such differences between edibles and flower or traditional bud?

What makes edibles so strong?

The Science

After eating an edible, the cannabinoids will start to travel through the digestive system, making their way to your liver, where THC — the psychoactive chemical compound — is turned into a compound called 11-Hydroxy-THC. This metabolite is formed when crossing the blood-brain barrier, resulting in a more psychedelic effect than THC.

Associate Professor Dr. Mark A. Ware at McGill University says the combined effects and compounds of the liver metabolizing THC into 11-Hydroxy-THC will produce a much more intense high than you would from smoking. Yes, It can take a while for the mind - and body-numbing effects of an edible to kick in. This is due to the THC first needing to be processed by your stomach, then metabolized by your liver before getting into the bloodstream then, finally reaching the brain. Which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours, depending on your metabolism.

A Common Fallacy We All Make

We take too much.

Knowing your limits. Another reason that edibles are so potent is that we tend to consume too much of them.

We tend to make the mistake of thinking it's been an hour and still not feeling anything, so we eat more. Dr. Blesching advises adults to ingest no more than 2.5 to 5 milligrams an hour. "If you don't feel anything, you can gradually add a little more," he says. Then wait another hour.

Top 12 Cannabis Edibles

Dispensaries and other cannabis businesses are now seeing more patients and general consumers gaining access. This means more products hitting the market.

And as always, the factors that make for an outstanding edible are consistency in cannabinoid content, accurate dosing (with a reliable THC: CBD ratio), freshness, flavor, onset, duration, labeling, and packaging).