Canadians explore their newfound freedom as they traverse the wonderful world of legalized marijuana, and thus far things seem to be going pretty well. We were off to a rocky start in the beginning but like most things, all of the finite details are smoothed out with the passage of time.
Despite this, it is to the dismay of many Canadians that we will have to sit tight until 2019 before edibles will finally be available for legal retailed purchase. Womp!
I can understand why they chose to do this, as many concerns have been expressed about how the regulation of these types of products will be enforced. With the unpredictability of edibles and correct dosage, this serves as no surprise. To the inexperienced user overdoing it comes quite easily, and in fact most people do “over-dose” when trying them for the first time. It becomes problematic because the effects can take between 30 minutes-2 hours for the body to process, leaving open a large window for potential overindulgence. While it’s not going to kill ya, it might not be very enjoyable to say the least.
For instance, last month I was snacking on some cupcakes from my good friend’s birthday party as a first time edible consumer. To make the matter worse my judgment was already impaired from the alcohol I had previously consumed, and I made the mistake of eating all of the cupcakes (they were so good.) Before I knew it I was toast, sitting on the floor crying over Kanye West’s music loudly proclaiming that I “finally get it.”
This is just an example, and it’s certainly not intended to demonize edibles. For those who are not fond of smoking, these are a great alternative and arguably far safer.
Effects from edibles generally last longer than expected depending on the dose, last meal, and/or medications or alcohol used at the same time, and the effects can last twice as long as smoking or vaporizing cannabis. When the body is breaking down the edible it actually gets converted into a more potent chemical, and depending on the dosage, the effects of consuming marijuana edibles can last anywhere between 4 and 12 hours.
The amount of THC contained within an edible product can vastly vary, making it far more challenging to control how much THC is actually consumed. The amount of THC in homemade marijuana edibles can vary even more and can be extremely potent.
Cannabis flag runner Washington, DC gives us a window into what our future might look like once edibles are readily available and regulated. They already have products consisting of beverages with built-in 10mg dosing caps so that consumers can self-regulate, childproof lids, and individually packaged 10 mg chocolates. A positive movement forward no doubt, but this inadvertently raises other concerns. Won’t all that packaging be a waste? What about the hundreds of products and baked good that are indistinguishable from non-cannabis infused products? How can we ensure the smoothest possible transition?
Many Canadians have also raised concerns about children getting ahold of candies that resemble regular treats, and consequently being escorted to the hospital. There have already been wide-reported cases of this transpiring in the United States. Suffice it to say, the future fate of edibles lays in our hands.
While it is clear that educating kids is left up to the parents, it’s no secret that people aren’t always reliable, and even the most meticulous of individuals are still prone to forgetfulness. It is of dire importance that we do our due diligence in maintaining a safe environment for our children first and foremost, enjoying our goods responsibly.
It’s not all doom and gloom though! While there are some cons that we may need to consider there are also pros as you might expect, and they go beyond just feeling groovy.
Edibles stay in your system roughly two times longer than if you were to smoke marijuana, making for a longer lasting effect and I suppose more bang for your buck if you want to look at it that way.
For those who are, like myself, averted to smoking substances of any kind but still want to experience to relaxing (or uplifting high) that marijuana promises edibles are a fantastic way to achieve that, sparing your lungs of any potential toxins.
When done properly, edibles can afford you the opportunity to possess more control over the amount you actually intake. Whether you want a mild effect to provide some type of relief or a really intense experience or any variation in between, these are easily achieved with the help of edibles.
Last but definitely not least when we consume and digest cannabis-infused goods we actually get to reap the benefits of it’s antioxidants as smoking does not allow them to travel through the body in the same way consuming the product would. Edibles make for an overall healthier and more detoxifying bodily experience.
In conclusion, it is our responsibility at the end of the day to determine whether this goes smoothly or horribly wrong. It is certainly great to experience a deeper level of freedom in the land of the free, and it will certainly be interesting to observe how they regulate the wild-card of edibles in the not so distant future. Only time will tell!
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