Edibles vs. Smoking: Your Preferred Experience

Edibles vs. smoking

Whether it’s your first time or you’re revisiting a cannabis experience, understanding the differences between edibles and smoking can help you decide which is best for you. 

Reaching the high

Smoking, and edibles take affect at different rates. Smoking will get you high much quicker than edibles.

• Smoking

If you’re looking for something that’s going to get you where you want to be, and fast, then choose a joint or other avenue of smoking. From the moment you light the joint and take that first inhale, it takes only minutes for the THC to take effect.

• Edibles

If you’d prefer to try an edible, then you’re going to need patience. It takes much longer to get high when eating snacks with marijuana extracts like THC and CBD. It can take between 30 minutes and two hours for noticeable effects. But when they do take effect, you will know that you’ve been ​‘hit’.

Feeling the high

When you arrive at your euphoric destination, will you know? You see, that’s the magic question. It seems like you would be completely aware of your high, other times it is a slow burn and a welcome background noise. 

• Smoking

The fast effects of smoking and the rapid rate of THC taking hold means you can usually gauge just how high you are. 

• Edibles

With edibles, feeling high will be different than with smoking. It can be hard to tell when you’ve reached the top. You may be tempted to take another bite of your edible snack cake, or pop a few more gummies, but don’t. That’s why there is such a long rate of onset as you are understanding if you’re high or not. Do not be fooled, you could be intoxicated and haven’t felt the fullness of your dosage yet.

Duration of the high

Getting there is only the beginning. Now you’re on a trip, so let’s see how long it lasts. Edibles and smoking also have a drastically different duration time. You need to know this because it will factor into your environment when smoking. One of these methods will be quite alright for on the go, the other will be a method that’s safer at home.

• Smoking

Taking that one hit provides an hour or two of good times. The best part is, you can take another toke, then another. Ah, but still be careful, beginners. Even a joint can be tricky icky. If you feel like you’re coming down, all it takes is lighting up again. Smoking doesn’t last long, but you can get high again, with another hit.

• Edibles

If you want to slurp on some edible hard candies, you better expect to stay high for up to 8 hours. Some people report flying in the clouds for 12 hours straight. For beginners and the cannacurious, be careful. While edibles should be enjoyed by all, it’s important to understand something: you stay high a long time, so always start with tiny bites first and plan your activities accordingly.

The strength of the high

How powerful your high gets with smoking or edibles depends on various factors. With each avenue of enjoying a high, you can also have control over how intoxicated you get.

• Smoking

With smoking, aside from different potencies and strains, you control your high. With each puff and pass, you get a little bit higher, up until you’ve reached that sweet spot. This will be different from person to person, of course.

• Edibles

With edibles, however, right from the start, you will experience a more powerful high than with smoking. This is because consuming weed affects multiple systems of the body. You absorb sublingually, through the bloodstream, and the digestive system. In fact, the liver, will transform THC into 11-Hydroxy-THC. And again, the high depends on the individual too.

Edibles vs. smoking: dosages

Here’s a factor that influences all the above. You must understand your dosage to know how to enjoy cannabis the safe way.

• Smoking

Dosages with smoking are easy. But it matters if you are a beginner or not, as beginners should take shorter puffs and take their time. In other words, it’s up to you to know when to quit. If you’re a beginner or just curious, please don’t smoke alone, just to be safe.

• Edibles

Edibles are a bit riskier, so it’s important to understand dosages in milligrams in this case. For beginners, they say 10 mg of THC is okay, but honestly, you can still enjoy a high with less than that. Honestly, it’s just safe for everyone to take it one little bite at a time considering edibles are made with many different strains.

Weed and your health

When it comes to smoking, monitoring your respiratory health is wise. If you use a vaporizer or dab, you can cut down any subtle risks. If you have diabetes, eating lots of edible sweets isn’t smart. Regular candy isn’t good for the diabetic, so it just takes a bit of logic. Choosing edibles that are also considered healthy, like non-sweet snacks and drinks can avoid any potential issues. Mainly, it’s about being educated.

When it comes to choosing between smoking and edibles, as you can see, there are many factors. But the facts remain the same: you just must weigh your options and make your own educated decisions. There are great rewards that come with enjoying a good high. Just like any other food, drink or past time, there are always both pros and cons. Choose wisely and have fun.