How Eating Edibles Compares to Smoking Weed

Overturned mason jar containing cannabis nuggets and multicolored edible gummies

When you’re first searching “smoke shop near me” on Google, you may not be sure how you want to consume your weed. Our head shop specializes in custom glass pipes and bongs, but we can still walk you through the world of both smoking and edibles.

If you’ve never tried an edible, you’ll be surprised at how different the experience is from smoking. It’s a different kind of high that is stronger and lasts longer. And it’s easy to accidentally get a lot higher than planned! But don’t worry, we’ll cover that.

Let’s talk about how the body reacts to smoking and edibles, how each method affects your high, the difference between Indica and Sativa strains, and some common cannabinoids.

How does smoking work?

When you smoke marijuana, the cannabinoids- like THC and CBD- are nearly instantly absorbed into your bloodstream and go to your brain.

When the THC reaches your brain, it binds to receptors that are in your endocannabinoid system. Specifically, CB1 receptors create the euphoric feeling that you know and love.

Smoking works very quickly and you’ll feel its effects right away. Pick out a great pipe or bong from our smoke shop and you’re ready to go!

How do edibles work?

Edibles work a little differently than smoking does.

When an edible is digested, it goes through your digestive tract and then gets absorbed by your stomach. The weed’s active compounds get metabolized by your liver. An important step takes place here: THC gets converted into 11-hydroxy-THC. This compound lasts longer, and is more potent, than THC.

Edibles take longer to hit, but once they do they’re stronger and have a longer half-life than if you had smoked the same amount of weed. Our headshop employees sure know that firsthand and have epic stories about edible highs- just ask them!

How do these methods affect your high?

Now that you have the run-down on the physiological effects of smoking and taking edibles, let’s talk about how these innerworkings affect your high.

As previously discussed, it takes a lot longer to metabolize THC when you take an edible. It ranges from 45 minutes to three hours, with a typical recommendation of not taking a second dose for at least an hour and a half. Because of this, there is a great delay in effects.

However, 11-hydroxy-THC is stronger and lasts longer than THC. So it’s worth the wait!

When you smoke weed, the THC travels almost instantly to your brain. But because it’s so rapidly absorbed, your high won’t last as long.

A general rule of thumb is that a smoking high lasts 1-2 hours while an edible high lasts 4-6 hours.

Something else to consider is how much you consume. Since smoking creates nearly instant results, it’s easy to gauge how high you are and whether you want to smoke more or not. This makes you less likely to get higher than you’d like.

Lots of people prefer to smoke for this reason. Your favorite local Denver smoke shop can get you all set up to do so!

But many people struggle with overconsumption when it comes to edibles. If you don’t wait long enough, you may think you need to take more. If it’s your first time taking an edible, start with 2.5g and wait at least an hour and a half before taking more.

But once you know what dose of edibles works for you, it’s easier to dose using edibles than it is smoking since it’s more concretely measured.

Indica vs Sativa

Simply put, Sativas cause more of a head high while indicas induce more of a body high. Sativas are great for energy and creativity while indicas are relished for their relaxing effects.

Sativas have more THC than CBD, while indicas are more CBD-heavy; hence their relaxing effects.

Let’s go over some different cannabinoids and what they do.

THC

THC is the primary psychoactive cannabinoid found in marijuana. It causes the “high” and euphoria that you experience. Over time, growers have found ways to increase the amount of THC in marijuana plants so you can get higher with less weed.

CBD

CBD isn’t psychoactive, but has lots of physical and health benefits. It can reduce nausea and pain, prevent seizures, and ease migraines.

CBN

CBN can ease side effects and symptoms of neurological conditions like seizures, epilepsy, and muscle stiffness.

THCA

THCA is reminiscent of THC but isn’t psychoactive. It has lots of potential benefits like inflammation reduction from autoimmune diseases and arthritis. It might also reduce symptoms of conditions like ALS and Parkinson’s disease.

CBG

CBG is theorized to reduce anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and depression symptoms.

Final Thoughts From Our Smoke Shop Team

The employees at our Denver headshop all have different consumption preferences. Some are avid dabbers, some love a classic joint, and others are edible extremists. No matter what you’re looking for, we can give you some great advice!

Hopefully, by now, you have a better understanding of how edibles and smoking differ. You should also know a little bit more about marijuana in general (unless you’ve already done your research, in which case, you’re welcome for the refresher!).

It’s not as simple as just smoking or taking an edible. A lot takes place in your body that changes your experience based on which method you choose to use, and the chemistry is actually pretty interesting.

Our recommendation: try both! Just take it easy on the edibles at first.

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