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Eating Marijuana Edibles vs. Smoking or Vaping Cannabis

Market trends of Weed Edibles in United States and Canada

Thanks to the legalization of marijuana in select states, there has been a noticeable increase in the amount of attention the industry has received globally. According to research done by Arcview Market Research, the sales of legal marijuana in the United States has soared astronomically from $5 billion, a 17 % increase to about $6.7 billion this year. They anticipate that by 2020, the sale of legal marijuana will increase to about $21.8 billion. More and more states in America are voting to legalize the sale of marijuana. Some of these states include Maine, Arizona, Massachusetts, Nevada, and California. Almost half of the states in the United States have passed laws on the legalization of marijuana.

The edibles industry in both Canada and United States are also following suit. Canada has taken a significant step towards the legalization of marijuana, but the approval of edible marijuana will likely be delayed beyond 2018. Luckily, the edible marijuana industry has been quite profitable for their neighbors in the United States who have since taken significant steps in its legalization. Still yet, it will be considered a victory for the marijuana industry even though edibles were not considered legal in the first place.

In the first draft of the legislation to make recreation and medical marijuana legal in Canada, edible marijuana was not included in the proposed plan. Fortunately, thanks to a vote by the Canadian House of Commons and health committee, this was changed.

Advantages of Eating Cannabis Edibles vs. Smoking or Vaping

Edible marijuana has inherent benefits when compared to smoking:

  • The high you get from eating marijuana is quite different from that you get when you smoke or vape it. You might be wondering why there is a difference. The reason isn’t farfetched, for those who smoke marijuana, what they do is basically convert a non-psychoactive “acid form” (not LSD acid) of THC into a psychoactive form of THC called delta-9 THC, this gives the user distinctive feelings.
  • Consequently, when marijuana is eaten, the inactive form of THC to delta-11 THC is converted in the digestive system, this compound is responsible for various feelings than delta – 9. The advantage is that you enjoy and feel the effects of them both. The feelings or high you get from eating marijuana lasts for about 7 hours or less before it reduces gradually, but the effects are not felt for about thirty to ninety minutes. Unlike when marijuana is smoked, the high is felt within minutes and it lasts for about one to three hours after which you stop being high. The user tends to not feel burned out or tired when marijuana is eaten unlike when it is smoked.
  • The effects of edible marijuana are centered around the body in comparison with marijuana that’s smoked. Also, when edible marijuana is taken, it could relief pains, muscle spasms and other conditions similar to it, but it doesn’t work as fast as smoked marijuana. Hence, people seeking instant relief from pain do not usually go for edible marijuana.

Illness/sickness that can be treated with edibles

Edible marijuana goes a long way in solving a lot of sicknesses and are considered to alleviate pain the most. There are various people who suffer from different types of pain, the anxiety they get from diseases they suffer from like migraine headaches, cancer, chronic pain, depression etc.

  • Diseases like Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS are a few that do not have a cure at this time. Some modern treatments can come with severe pain, tiredness, lack of sleep, stiffness of the joints, nausea, an overall loss of appetite for food and constant vomiting.
  • Other degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s have defied any current cures and can potentially be supported by cannabis edibles. There are reports that the amyloid beta is reduced considerably by THC. Amyloid beta is a dangerous form of protein that accumulates in the brain of its patient.
  • For cancer patients that undergo the exhaustive process of chemotherapy, it has been found that edible marijuana helps in reducing vomiting by patients. It also helps to reduce the loss of appetite and nausea felt by HIV/AIDS patients.
  • Edible marijuana also has anti-inflammatory properties that is good for treating neurological problems, arthritis, spasticity and chronic pain.
  • Edible cannabis is best for those who do not want to smoke or have a preexisting illness that prohibits smoking, or they do not like smoking in general. Additionally, experts in the marijuana industry highly recommend edibles for patients that suffer from Crohn’s disease, patients with digestive tract or liver problem or irritable bowel syndrome.  Some studies have shown that cannabis extracts have benefits for digestive issues.

It should be noted that taking edibles on an empty stomach will make you feel the effect more intensely and quickly unlike when the stomach is filled with food, the effect wouldn’t be felt that much. If at any point in time you feel you have consumed more than you’re supposed to, do not attempt to eat more food as it will only push more into your system instead of diluting it.

Recommended daily dosage

There are a few points to note when consuming edibles, it is important not to eat edibles like regular food, even if it tastes good. Concentrations may vary and the user may not feel the effects for hours. Edibles can come in brownies, lollipops, cakes etc. A starting recommended dosage will be to take about 5-10 mg and after that, see how your body responds. You may decide to take a little more after that you do not feel the effects.  It will be different for every individual. For the most part, edibles come in a container of about 80 or 100 mg and can be found in legal dispensaries in places they have been legalized.

A rule of thumb is to always ask your vendor the number of milligrams of THC that is contained in the edible. Make sure you buy edibles from a reputable seller who can tell you exactly the dosage in each edible and the effects it will have on your body.

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