Berkeley Patien Care - BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO MEDICAL CANNABIS - USING EDIBLES

Edibles are now a hot commodity in the medical cannabis world.  These days, the lower half of the PCC display case has quite an abundance of gourmet goodies, causing quite a few patients to pass up our most spectacular buds for the variety of medicated treats underneath them. They are in no way a new invention, in fact cannabis has been eaten just as long as it has been ignited and inhaled. But in the last ten years all sorts of exciting recipes and new methods have been introduced to produce edible medicine for patients who cannot or don’t want to smoke.  The choices have far surpassed the traditional pot brownie and many talented providers have undertaken cannabis confections as their new passion.

Most people have had some sort of an experience with edibles, ranging from magical to memorably scary.  For the beginner, eating your medicine instead of smoking can be a welcome change for your lungs, but it can also produce a wider range of effects you may not be expecting or prepared to handle.  When marijuana is inhaled, the active components are absorbed directly into the bloodstream in the lungs and the effect is almost instant.  You “feel it” right away, with the intensity depending on the quality of the medicine.  This is not the case when marijuana is digested.  It can take anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour for the full effects to be felt, and the final result is often stronger and lasts longer.  As scientific research goes further into the benefits of medicinal cannabis, many patients are discovering that eating cannabis provides a more gradual psychoactive  effect and a more powerful body feel, which treats their medical condition better than inhaling smoke or vapor.  Edibles are also a more discreet way of medicating and can be enjoyed where smoking is not possible.

Depending on the dosage of the edible, and the edible tolerance and metabolism of the patient, the range of medicinal effects can be all over the spectrum.  The majority of edibles deliver a delayed, physically sedative feeling noticeably stronger than from smoking.  Unlike smoking, the intensity of any particular edible is more likely based on the amount of cannabis used rather than what type of cannabis was used in production.  Some newer edibles are produced using hash oil extraction and other sophisticated processes involving concentrates which increase potency and eliminate the need for eating large quantities of cannabis butter.  As more people try to perfect the art of edibles, more choices are available for patients, but it can be hard to know what’s good or what’s best for you individually.  Some patients relate stories of eating a single pot brownie and having powerful, all day relief from symptoms.  Other patients swear they have eaten the strongest of medicated products available and feel “absolutely nothing”.  With all the variety out there, here are some guidelines to help you find the medicine that will benefit you most.

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