Being Safe with Cannabis Edibles

Naturally, you’d think that anyone intending on consuming a food or beverage containing marijuana would have a little common sense and do their homework. This however, is surprisingly far from the truth these days. Perhaps it’s simply a lack of patience, or maybe a lack of experience, but overdosing on marijuana edibles is becoming more and more of a problem. Before you delve too deep into our recipe collection, we figured it might be a good idea to talk about why people end up taking too much and how it can be prevented.

A Novel Idea

Let’s start at the beginning, what makes marijuana edibles so popular? Really a few things can be attributed to the rising popularity of these treats that can change your state of mind:

• Convenience – Cannabis infused goodies are extremely convenient to consume. Often-times edibles are consumed in places where it would be extremely inconvenient or impossible. Edibles find their way into airports, movie theatres, concerts and many other venues where you might not normally be able to use marijuana.
• Health Concerns – Marijuana has a fanbase that’s comprised of all walks of life. Doctors, athletes, and even people in the nutrition business all consume cannabis. Many of these people care deeply about their health and would rather eat cannabis to avoid inhaling smoke. There’s no harsh burn and edibles usually taste pretty great.
• Concealment – Cannabis treats are portable, tasty, and much more of a low profile activity when compared to smoking cannabis. For people who only experiment with cannabis they’re quite the attractive option. Cannabis treats can be hidden in plain sight because often they don’t resemble anything even remotely related to marijuana. There’s no pipe to pack and no joints to roll. Simply grab your edible and be on your way.
• Affordability – Unless you’re buying a joint or another form of a pre-roll, chances are some actual buds will cost you at least $12-$15 and you’ll have much more than a single dose. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but it you’re just an occasional user this isn’t quite practical. Cannabis edibles are an affordable option and can be bought in single (or multiple) servings ranging anywhere from $2 to $5 a dose.

Herein Lies the Problem

All the benefits above make cannabis edibles a great option, but some of these qualities have made things a little too easy perhaps. With the continued success of medical marijuana, and the beginning of legalization, there are now more choices than ever when it comes to how to eat your weed. From white cheddar popcorn to chocolates, cookies to ice cream and even beef jerky nearly every food item you can think of has been injected with THC. While the diversity of these products is fun to think about, it also creates one blaring problem: dosage. Different products come in different shapes, sizes and flavors. It may be too easy to eat a whole bag of cheddar popcorn, or to drink an entire weed infused beverage. Furthermore how are you supposed to accurately dose with said popcorn… kernel by kernel? Or how can you be sure you cut that weed candy bar into 16 exact pieces? Combine these factors with the chance that edible potencies can vary from batch to batch, and you’ve got one hell of a wild card problem here.

Every person has a different reaction to edibles, but the main factor is tolerance. Yesterday you ate a whole brownie and got pretty medicated, but felt you could’ve handled more. You gave one of those same brownies to your cousin, he eats the whole thing and next thing you know he’s running naked down 7th street screaming the Russians are onto him. So we’ve got all these things we need to think about and the question forms, How does one safely consume edibles?

The golden rule of eating cannabis treats comes from one of my favorite edible companies, Korova. On the package of their famous 5150 bar there’s a tagline that says “You can always eat more, but you can never eat less”. This is pretty straightforward, but makes a good point of something people often overlook. Since cannabis edibles can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to fully activate, countless people make the mistake of getting impatient and consuming another dose without waiting long enough. Korova is known for making extremely potent edibles, and I didn’t even attempt to eat any of their products until I had consumed several other edibles and built up my tolerance. Korova’s 5150 bar is packed with 500mg of THC in a total of 10 doses, while their Black Bar has 1000mg of THC in a suggested 20 doses. When I did finally decide to try these products, I played it safe and only took the recommended dose. I was glad I did, as a mere piece (the size of a starburst candy) was plenty to take care of the pain from my spine injury.

Aside from always abiding by the golden rule, there are a few more tips to help you have a great first experience with edibles:

• Portion as precisely as you can! If the item you’re buying contains more than one dose, be sure to cut or portion the item as accurately as you can. I strongly advise against just biting into something and estimating how much you should eat. Be smart, use a knife, and don’t be afraid to even measure what you’re cutting. I like to score my brownies with a knife first before cutting to avoid uneven pieces.
• Always start with the lowest recommended dose. Even this is no guarantee the edible won’t be too strong for you. I’ve found it’s usually a good starting point as most companies are pretty conservative with this number. They don’t want you to overdose either!
• Take into account what you’ve eaten before the brownie. A full stomach may slightly lessen the effects of what you’re eating, and it will also delay the fuse. Your stomach will need to digest the previous meal before your edibles can take effect. On the other hand an empty stomach may allow the effects to come through stronger and much faster.
• Eating marijuana is perhaps one of the strongest methods of consuming the plant. Even if you’re a seasoned smoker still approach edibles cautiously. Chances are you’ll have somewhat of a tolerance, but it still doesn’t fully translate from smoking to eating.

If you have patience and follow these guidelines, it’s almost impossible to have an unpleasant edible experience. Do your friends a favor too, and spread the word!

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