Ah, the first day of the week has almost passed. That means it’s time to relax, perhaps with some nice treats! For some that might be a tasty beer, others will pick a lovely cannabis joint or maybe even a space brownie. If you want to be sure that your cannabis high is completely under control, we advice you to just pick the first option. This is because eating cannabis edibles is much more unpredictable. Today we’re going to tell you all about why that is the case!

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The most powerful high

Of the countless ways to consume cannabis, edibles are the most unpredictable. The result is a powerful high that can take quite some time to get there. This ensures that edibles cause just as much love as fear in cannabis veterans and marijuana novices alike. Below, we'll tell you all about why these products are so different from smoking or vaping cannabis - two ways where you can feel an almost immediate effect.

To begin with, edibles are - well, edible. This gives us the first big difference. Like anything else you eat, cannabis edibles are absorbed through the stomach lining and intestines. After the food is broken up, the THC is absorbed from the edible product and slowly enters your bloodstream. When cannabis is smoked or used in a vaporizer, the effect is almost instant. The smoke or vapor flows directly into your lungs and then quickly enters your bloodstream, whereas the edibles will take much longer to enter the bloodstream.

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Why edibles are unpredictable

Depending on the type of meal you eat, it may take longer or shorter for your body to process these foods. The same applies to cannabis edibles. In addition, it is also important to take note how much you have already eaten that day. If you eat a cannabis brownie after a big meal, it will take longer for the THC to work than if you had it on an empty stomach. In fact, you may even fall asleep before experiencing the high feelings - something that is not exactly perceived as pleasant.

Andrew Stolbach, a toxicologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, explained to Eating Well that the time it takes for an edible to start working and the abnormalities in your digestive system could lead to an overdose on any given day. “One thing that's important to remember about edibles is that the intake is unpredictable,” he says. "People don't experience a peak effect for a long time after eating, which can take minutes to hours, but usually hours."

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Edible overdose: no bueno!

And such an overdose of cannabis is not something you want to experience. No, you will never die of an overdose of cannabis, but it’s absolutely horrible to endure. The symptoms of this are similar to those of an overdose of cannabis smoking, but stronger and longer. The standard side effects of marijuana, such as paranoia, anxiety and a fast heart rate, can occur 6 to 12 hours after an overdose of a cannabis edible.

In short, using cannabis edibles comes with some risks, and practice just makes perfect. So it takes some trial and error before you get the hang of eating cannabis. Our advice: always start with a small dose and never add too quickly. Then wait a few hours and see how it makes you feel. Rather not take the risk at all? Just opt for a herbal vaporizer!