As the world of weed expands, there’s bound to be lots of questions. Even more so when many people are exploring for the first time – or the first time in a long time!
So, recognizing the variety of questions that can pop up, here are a few common ones we’ve received that explore the effects of cannabis, including how long it will take to kick in, how long you can expect to feel its effects and more.
READ MORE: CannaFAQs: When it comes to cannabis, there are no dumb questions
Q. I don’t like smoking. How else can I use cannabis?
A. Although smoking is the most popular, simplest form of consuming cannabis, the growth of dispensaries and / or federal legalization of cannabis has brought numerous additional options – especially useful for those who don’t want to smoke their weed.
One of the most common alternatives is edibles. Also a lot easier than they used to be! Forget having to find a recipe, gather the ingredients, make the damn canna-butter, mixing that canna-butter with your brownie mix since you can’t bake, and … well, you get the picture (yes, ask me how I know). Today, it’s a whole lot easier to hit your go-to dispensary and choose the kind of edible that appeals, whether that’s chocolate, gummies or a beverage.
READ MORE: Making cannabis edibles at home? Here’s how to start with cannabutter
Concentrated products, including ready-to-use concentrate vaporizer, offers another alternative. Explain to your budtender your concerns and your goals, and they’ll be able to offer some suggestions.
Q. How long do edibles take to kick in?
A. The important thing to remember about edibles – and cannabis generally – is that the effects vary from person to person, and depend on factors such as your age, weight, metabolism, tolerance and more.
As a rule of thumb, edibles can take from around 30 minutes to 2 hours to start kicking in, but can take more than four hours for some people.
That means that with edibles, one of the classic mistakes is thinking you’ve waited long enough after eating your first gummy, then re-dosing. Then, once the first one kicks in, you’ve already taken too much, surrendering the rest of your night to couch-locked anxiety or feeling like you’re in “the sunken place.”
Trust me, you do not want to visit the sunken place. The message, as always with any form of cannabis, is to start low and go slow. And to use extreme caution when redosing with edibles.
READ MORE: Start Low, Go Slow: A beginner’s guide to edible cannabis
As far as smoking and vaping cannabis, you can expect to feel the effects much quicker, making it easier to evaluate your condition before taking another puff.
Q. How long will the effects of cannabis last?
A. Much like the factors governing how long it takes for cannabis to kick in, plenty of factors affect how long you’ll feel its effects.
Again, mainly tolerance and the method of consumption.
Edibles take longer to kick in, and their effects also last far longer than those from smoking, vaping or anything else. With edibles’ peak effects often lasting from four to 12 hours, some people prefer the quicker up and down that comes from smoking or vaping cannabis.
With these methods, expect the peak effects to last anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.
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