As recreational marijuana continues to become legal in more nations, people are raising more concerns regarding the effects of the drug on general wellbeing. Here is what you need to understand about how cannabis impacts your body when you eat it in meals.
The active ingredient in edibles is known as tetrahydrocannabinol, called THC, says Andrew Stolbach, M.D., M.P.H., an emergency physician and medical toxicologist at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Soon after eating a food containing THC, you start to consume it into your blood, he says. But there's a catch: Absorption could be delayed, depending on how much that edible you have and how much other food is in your stomach. That may be a big problem, says Stolbach, because people may not realize how much they have consumed until they start to feel sick.
"Something that's important to not forget concerning edibles is that absorption is inconsistent," states Stolbach. "People do not experience summit effect for some time after ingestion, [which can be] minutes --but usually hours"
The same as medications or food, THC consumed via edibles is absorbed through the walls of the intestines. The more food that is in your system--say, you ate a weed brownie as dessert after a major dinner out--the more it will take for the THC to get absorbed. That is really where edibles are majorly different in the joint: When you smoke THC, it immediately goes into your bloodstream, whereas you might not feel the complete effect of THC you've consumed till hours later, states Stolbach.
The type of edible you eat can impact how your body responds to it. THC is fat-soluble, meaning it melts in fats to be consumed in your own intestines. That's why lots of edibles are vegetarian foods, such as brownies or cookies, because they're made with THC-infused fats. "The thing which makes me nervous about [THC] dissolved in butter is that if the solution is unequally [blended ], some pieces of your brownie or cookie cutter will have much more THC than other parts," says Stolbach.
Some countries need edibles to be tagged with the amount of THC per serving--such as individually wrapped packs of gummies. But lots of bakeries and facilities producing edibles may not be tightly regulated in regards to just how much THC is in each serving of that product. And even if they're labeled, as with nutritional supplements, you can't always expect the numbers in the lack of rigorous regulation. Consumers should do their homework to ensure the origin of any edible they're consuming is credible, in addition to be mindful of where it's coming from. It is technically illegal to sell any food with THC across state lines, in most cases, based on the FDA.
So, providing you don't overindulge and follow the legislation, can edibles ever be considered healthy? "Absolutely," says Laura Lagano, M.S., RDN, CDN, a New York City-based integrative and operational nutritionist, and a holistic cannabis practitioner. "My recommendation would be to stay away from inflammatory components, such as artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners, sugar and gluten when selecting cannabis edibles," she states. "Cannabis is a powerful anti-inflammatory, therefore it does not make sense to combine [it] with inflammatory ingredients"
Producers are now producing everything from protein powders to chocolate bars into granola snacks laced together with THC, which makes it possible to swallow weed edibles while adhering to a healthy diet. If you do wish to give edibles a try, begin small with low doses, be sure they're coming from a package that clearly labels the THC concentration, and eat them at some time when you won't need to be working a car for a few hours, says Stolbach. "Give it a while to see how your body handles it," he says. "Attempt to minimize your stimulus and relax."
He says he has not seen proof that they make you healthier or treat a disease better than other medications on the market --and he has great anxiety over edibles getting in the wrong hands. Many times, edibles could be packaged to look like routine candy or snacks, enticing kids. The most commonly reported exposure to cannabis in children under age 12 is via baked goods and sweets, as stated by the American College of Medical Toxicology, and ingestion can lead to severe detrimental effects. If you are keeping edibles in your home and have children, ensure they are contained in child-resistant packaging and kept somewhere out of reach.
