A Simple Guide to Edibles
I know I’m not alone when I say 2020 has been rough! The past seven months have been stressful. My boyfriend almost lost his life in a motorcycle accident, we couldn’t see our son for a month while we stayed at the rehab facility for his recovery and my boyfriend accepted a promotion at work requiring us to move from Arizona to Northern California. A lot happened in such a short amount of time. So that along with all the madness going on in the world, you can see how my anxiety could start getting hard to manage. Smoking cannabis alone wasn’t cutting it. Luckily, I was gifted edibles by a few of my amazing friends and incorporating them into my day to day life has really helped take the edge off. A lot of people shy away from edibles, but once a person has an understanding of how edibles work, what to look for and how fitting it into their daily routine can benefit them, they see it’s not “scary” as they thought.
The effects and dosages vary from person to person. Your metabolism, body weight, the amount of THC, and your tolerance play factors in how long it will take for it to kick in. It’s not like when you’re smoking and the THC enters your bloodstream making you feel the effects almost instantly. An edible can take anywhere from 30 min to an hour because it’s first processed by the digestive system and then the liver before finally reaching the bloodstream. THC is metabolized in the liver into a compound called 11-hydroxy-THC and this causes your high to be more intense and lasts longer. It’s important to start small and It is recommended to wait 24 hours before taking your next dose. For example, if you took 5mg’s today and it wasn’t enough, try taking 10mg’s tomorrow and see how that feels. Increase the dose until you reach the desired effects. I myself take 15mgs or 20mgs each time.
Take note, it is important to know where your edibles come from and the method used to make them. Homemade edibles are made with an infused canna-butter or oil made from scratch and it’s almost impossible to determine how many milligrams you’re actually eating. I’m not saying homemade edibles are bad, they’re just for the more experienced consumer. For a consistent dose, purchase manufactured edibles. Commercial edible producers use a distillate, which in simple terms is basically pure THC extracted from the plant – and the best part is you can’t taste the cannabis. When purchasing, make sure the label states the total number of milligrams, milligrams per serving, and that it’s infused, not ”coated”. Gummy candy is already individually dosed, but if you buy a 100mg chocolate bar, it is meant to be divided into ten pieces. When you find the dose right for yourself, you can start incorporating them into your daily routine.
Again, the way you fit edibles into your daily routine will be different for everyone. Back in March, my boyfriend suffered a traumatic brain injury from a motorcycle accident and he was sent to a rehab facility for physical therapy. At the time of his accident, I was visiting family in California so I left my son with my parents not knowing how long I’d be gone for. At the same time, COVID hit and hospitals began quarantining their patients. They recommended I stay with him in the hospital because it would impact his mental state and progress if he was alone. I couldn’t smoke as often as I needed and I always had to be careful bringing the smell back inside the facility with me, so I turned to edibles. For the first half of the day, my smoke breaks would take place during his therapy sessions and in the evening, I would eat 20mgs to help me relax and go to sleep. In April, he did outpatient therapy in California so we could be with our son and begin planning our move to northern California. That month, I didn’t use edibles and I noticed I was smoking a lot more than normal and no matter how much I smoked it was not enough to subside my anxiety.
Since then, life has settled down and my anxiety is not as bad. I only take edibles about twice a week, when my anxiety is getting to me or when I’m out and about with my family and I don’t have the time to smoke. I also have found that I smoke less on those days, therefore my flower lasts longer. Edibles can be beneficial for people suffering from chronic pain, cancer-related symptoms, insomnia, loss of appetite, joint inflammation, nausea, postpartum depression, and much more. Edibles are also great for pregnant women, discreet consumption, and saving money on flower. Overall, you’ll have to go through a trial and error phase to figure out what works for you and remember, do not try this when you’re alone with your kids. Always make sure there is a sober parent present and you feel safe.
Authors recommendation
If you live in Arizona, I recommend trying edibles by Sublime. My favorite is the Cinnamon Almond Coffee Cake. https://sublimeaz.com/sublime-edibles/
If you live in California, I recommend edibles by Kanha. My favorite is the Strawberry flavor. https://sunderstorm.com/kanha-gummies/
Infused Recipe: Gluten free, Vegan Pancakes
If you are looking to make your own edibles, I found this great pancake recipe by Amanda Michelle. Amanda is a holistic wellness consultant and owner of Activated Living. She recently began a web series in 2019 called “Cooking with Cannabis” where she shares her love of healthy, plant-based meals and cannabis. She has over a decade of knowledge working with herbs and holistic medicine and combines her plant knowledge and indigenous heritage to educate her followers.
You can follow Amanda on twitter at @ActivatedLiving https://twitter.com/activatedlivng and on instagram at @Activatedliving for more recipes and knowledge.
Ingredients
2 cups organic oats
1.50 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
4 tbsp Medicated Coconut Oil (@ 20 mg/ Tbsp)
1 Large Banana
2 tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Baking Soda
2 tbsp Organic Maple Syrup
1 tbsp Organic Vanilla Extract
1 ¼ cups Organic Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
3 tbsp water
Directions
Heat a griddle, skillet or cast iron pan on medium-high heat. Using a paper towel, rub on a bit of the medicated oil to grease the pan. Each pancake takes about 7-8 minutes total to cook, so if you can only fit one pancake on your griddle, use 2 pans at once to reduce the total cooking time.
In a blender, mix together the oats and 1 cup (240 milliliters) of almond milk. Add about a tablespoon of the medicated coconut oil to the blender. Mix in a large banana, baking soda and baking powder. Blend on medium for 30 seconds- 1 minute until a thick batter forms. The batter should have a thick consistency, so when you drop the batter on the griddle, the batter will slowly form into a circle shape.
When your skillet is evenly pre-heated (around 10-12 minutes if you are using cast iron), drop 1/4 cup of batter on the heated pan, and lightly spread the batter with the back of the spoon to make a round.
Cook until some bubbles of the batter start to form- about 5-7 minutes. You may need to adjust the heat to medium-low so the surface of the pancake does not burn. This vegan recipe contains no egg, so remember to keep in mind that these pancakes cook slow compared to other traditional pancake recipes.
Once the pancakes are ready, carefully flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, about 4-5 minutes more.
Tips for Dosing Edibles
This is where many people find cooking with cannabis to be a little difficult because dosing varies between the product (homemade canna-butter/ oil vs. CA Compliant grade products with precise dosing and measuring). It’s also difficult to vary on dosing because everyone is different! We absorb, metabolize and digest at different rates. A 5-10mg dose for one person will affect two different people very differently. It’s so so crucial to note that when it comes to dosing with my recipes, people start off with a lower dosage and go from there where they know how their body reacts to medicated food.
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