For people who want their cannabis without the smoke, edibles provide an increasingly popular alternative. And it isn鈥檛 just pot brownies, either. Gummies, tinctures and other products can be laced with the drug.
鈥淭he availability of different types of products makes it so that there鈥檚 something for everyone,鈥� says at Western University in Canada.
Just don鈥檛 expect the same high as you might get from a joint.
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鈥淗ow you take marijuana really changes the profile of the effect you see and how long it lasts,鈥� says Khokhar.
The psychoactive molecules found in cannabis work by binding to CB1 receptors in the brain and central nervous system. The effects of marijuana on CB1 are dose-dependent, meaning that the more compounds reach your neurons, the more potent the high.
at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire says this is true regardless of whether you take an edible or puff on a vape. However, how long the high lasts and how quickly you feel it can vary depending on which method you use.
Before the psychoactive compounds in cannabis edibles can hit your brain, they need to be processed by the liver. This means there can be a lag of an hour or more before an edible kicks in, and the high , compared to the standard 1 to 4-hour effect of smoking a joint.
Smoking and vaping, on the other hand, can create highs within minutes. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) 鈥� the main psychoactive compound in cannabis 鈥� and other substances are quickly absorbed via mucus membranes in the respiratory system, which have dense networks of blood vessels.
Of these two approaches, vaping may lead to more acute highs. In a 2018 study, scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland found that . People who vaped also experienced more cognitive and motor impairments.
Other studies suggest another way in which vaping provides a more potent high: .
But users should balance the perceived benefits of vaping with the potential for developing respiratory problems, says Borodovsky. Some health organisations have already because of the negative effects of smoking on lung health. More recently, they have raised concerns about vaping too. For instance, vaping may heighten the risk of exposure to toxic by-products in cartridges, as well as to vitamin E acetate, . However, Khokhar says vaping is still probably safer overall than smoking.
Whichever option users choose when consuming cannabis, Khokhar would give the same advice. 鈥淭he message is, start low and go slow,鈥� he says.
