By Joel Paige
There is a saying within the cannabis community that is frequently offered as advice to newbies: start low and go slow. The idea is to start with low potency products and space out consumption appropriately. It is a way of helping new users understand how cannabis affects them so that they do not use too much, too quickly.
When we think of the low and slow approach, the tendency is to apply it only to smoking flower, vaping, and high-powered dabbing. But it applies to edibles, too. It may be even more important in the edible space due to how long it can take for the effects of edible products to kick in.
For the record, edible products can include:
- infused gummies and candies
- infused beverages
- cookies, brownies, etc.
- condiments (e.g., cannibutter).
Recreational and medical users can purchase edibles at a dispensary or pharmacy. They can also make their own by including plant material or cannabinoid concentrates in their own recipes.
One to Two Hours
Consume cannabis by smoking, vaping, dabbing, or using a tincture and you will feel the effects almost instantly. All these methods get THC into the bloodstream very quickly. That being the case, applying the low and slow approach makes sense. But what about edibles?
New users can struggle with edibles because it can take one to two hours before they feel anything. Eat a cannabis-infused brownie and you may not start feeling good for quite some time. But resist the temptation of thinking that you haven’t consumed enough. Wait a good two hours before determining whether your dosage was too low.
For most edibles, minimal effects can be felt within two hours. If you eat something, do not feel anything after 20 minutes and then eat more, you could easily wind up not feeling very well two hours later. Suffice it to say that the low and slow approach could help save you from such misery.
Individual Metabolism Is Different
There is another reason to apply the low and slow approach to edibles: individual metabolism is different. Remember that your body has to deal with the actual food you are consuming in addition to the cannabis portion. How your body metabolizes that food will influence how much affect you feel from the THC.
Metabolism can play a more crucial part for consumers who use cannabis medicinally. So much so that Brigham City Utah’s Beehive Farmacy encourages patients to regularly discuss their consumption with their pharmacists. Tracking consumption and its effects is also a wise idea. Tracking information can help pharmacists give better advice.
Before Making Your Own
For many edible users, there is a certain amount of enjoyment that comes from making edibles at home. Again, the low and slow approach applies. Making that very first edible usually means following a recipe. But you have to remember that recipes are created by experienced users who already know how THC affects them. Following a recipe is a good idea, but consumption should still be practiced slowly until you know how the edible will affect you.
Starting low and going slow is all about making sure you do not consume too much cannabis into short a time. While overdosing on cannabis is nearly impossible, taking too much too quickly can result in all sorts of unpleasant side effects including nausea, the shakes, cognitive impairment, and more.
If you are new to cannabis, embrace the low and slow approach no matter what delivery method you choose. Doing so is the best way to make sure you do not overdo it.
