Why Does It Take So Long to Feel Edibles’ Effects?
Why does it take so long to feel edibles’ effects?
Have you ever wondered why it takes so long for an edible’s effects to be felt?
When you smoke, the effects seem almost instantaneous. And that’s nice. But when we eat an edible, it can sometimes take up to over an hour to feel anything. But why does this happen?
Whether it’s through smoking or ingesting, THC takes a while to get through the bloodstream to be felt by the brain. There’s a few reasons it takes longer for ingested THC than inhaled, but the big one is this:
Edibles have to travel through our digestive system, which takes longer.
But this time period varies for absolutely everyone, as there are a few factors at play that can determine how fast your body feels the effects of an edible: height and weight, metabolism, hormones, and how much you’ve eaten that day can all determine how fast your body processes THC. (1).
Edibles: 30-90 minutes. Smoking: (0-10 minutes)
“When inhaled through smoking or vaping, Δ9-THC reaches the brain, takes initial effect within minutes, and shows peak effect in about 20 to 30 minutes, with psychoactive effects tapering off within 2 to 3 hours (1).” This is because it enters the lungs first, which rapidly absorb the THC and send it straight to the bloodstream.
Another important thing to remember is this:
A good amount (say about 30%) of THC is destroyed by pyrolysis, which is the decomposition of matter from high temperatures. This means that some of the advertised THC on your flower isn’t actually making it into your body. Because edibles aren’t being set on fire when you consume them, a great deal more of the advertised THC is entering your body (2).
But there are also other factors at play when it comes to inhalation, such as “the depth of inhalation, puff duration and breath-hold,” which can all determine how high you get (2).
Although it takes longer for the initial psychoactive effect of edibles (30 to 90 minutes) to be felt, the resulting “high” is longer-lasting, with a peak at 2 to 4 hours after ingestion (1).
We think the time to wait is worth it. Do you?
Daniel G. Barrus, Kristen L. Capogrossi, Sheryl C. Cates, Camille K. Gourdet, Nicholas C. Peiper, Scott P. Novak, Timothy W. Lefever, and Jenny L. Wiley. Tasty THC: Promises and Challenges of Cannabis Edibles.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3570572/
2. Priyamvada Sharma, PhD,1 Pratima Murthy,1 and M.M. Srinivas Bharath2. Chemistry, Metabolism, and Toxicology of Cannabis: Clinical Implications.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5260817/
3. Farah, Troy. Why Do Edibles Give You a Different High Than Smoking? February 9, 2018, 2:57pm
https://www.vice.com/en/article/bj5mza/edible-high-vs-smoke-high