To Ingest The Flower Or To Inhale It? That is the question.
To Ingest The Flower Or To Inhale It? That is the question.
November 20, 2020

As you venture down the marijuana path, you start to wonder what it would be like to ingest your cannabis instead of inhaling it. We’ve all been there. You’ve been offered cannabis-infused foods before, but perhaps you have always passed on trying one of the psychoactive snacks because you aren’t sure what to expect from the experience. 

How different is eating an edible from smoking the cannabis flower and what effects might it have on your body? Let’s take a quick look. 

1. How Is The THC Absorbed Differently When Ingested?

Why is it that the high you feel from eating an edible is more of a psychedelic high that lasts longer in your system? Well, interestingly enough, when you ingest cannabis, the liver metabolizes the THC, which ultimately converts it into 11-hydroxy-THC. Yes, we know this seems very scientific, but hang with us. This results in a more intense high than what you feel when you smoke the flower because this conversion allows the metabolite to effectively cross the blood-brain barrier. Essential, this produces a slower onset to a longer high. 

So what exactly happens when you inhale it? Rather than the THC passes through the stomach and the liver, it participates in a different metabolic process that allows it to travel straight to the brain. Because the THC takes this path when smoked, the cannabis comes on more quickly and doesn’t last as long if you were to ingest it. 

2. Start Small & Be Patient 

When trying your first edible, it’s important to remember the scientific process we just explored. A good rule to live by is to start small and to simply be patient with your body as it metabolizes the THC. In the same way marijuana strains can have different effects on people, eating an edible can metabolize at different speeds for individuals as well. For most cannabis explores, we recommend that you take a small bite of your edible and wait several hours. This will allow your body to retain a more comfortable, milder effect from the cannabis-infused treat. 

3. The Dosage Difference

Dosing responsibly is what we recommend when it comes to trying out your brownie, candy, gummy, or whatever concoction you have created and decided to infuse with the flower. Although it’s important to note that when it comes to ingesting cannabis, getting the dosage properly distributed is no easy task. When you smoke marijuana, you are able to consume a gradual dose as you wish. When you eat the flower, it can be quite easy to overestimate the dose because of the delay in effects. That is why we live by the Golden Rule, start small and be patient, Flora Fam. 

4. Are Eating Edibles Healthier For You Than Smoking?

Last but not least, many consumers often wonder if eating edibles is better for you than smoking the flower. More often than not, we find that people with chronic symptoms enjoy ingesting marijuana because the effects last longer in their system and in return, help relieve the pain for a longer period of time. This method is the preferred choice for most medical patients. Others who aren’t a fan of the harsh effects of smoking may also want to try edibles instead. It’s ultimately up to personal preference and how long you are hoping to reap the benefits from a single dose of cannabis. 

If you have any questions about cannabis edibles, cannabis flower, or cannabis in general, please feel free to utilize our Live Chat feature on our website. florafarmsmo.com