One of the considerations you should take into account when enjoying cannabis is how quickly you are looking for the high to kick in and how long you are hoping it will last. This can impact the forms of marijuana that you partake in at any particular moment.
The basic overview ia as follows:
Ingesting cannabis in any of the popular forms….edibles, orals or tinctures will take longer to feel the impact, as absorption through the digestive system takes considerably longer than inhaling. When cannabis is smoked or vaped, theTHC is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the lungs.
This is rapid and as a result you will likely feel the high almost immediately. In contrast, when you eat a gummy, it has to pass through the digestive system and then be metabolized by the liver before entering the bloodstream. This takes longer, up to a couple hours, which impacts the onset of effects.
People’s metabolism can vary greatly and is influenced by factors like age and even what else they’ve just eaten. (See our article on Avocados).
It’s somewhat easier to control the dosage and stop once the desired effect is reached with smoking or vaping. With edibles, it’s harder, especially for a senior who is new to using (especially ingesting) cannabis to gauge how much THC is being consumed.
Eating too much can lead to an unpleasant overconsumption experience. Fortunately, with lab tested edibles, tinctures, ets. the likelihood of eating more milligrams of THC than you’re anticipating shouldn’t be an issue. As always, start slowly and add milligrams intentionally when you have an understanding of the outcome to expect.