Choosing Cannabis Products
7 Things You Need to Know About Edibles
Edible cannabis products provide a smoke-free alternative to consuming dried cannabis, but there are many factors to consider before you do. Here’s what you need to know — and why you should always buy legal.
1. When in doubt, wait it out.
It can take 30 minutes to two hours to begin feeling the effects of edibles, and it can take four hours to feel the full effects. So, if it’s been 30 minutes and you’re not feeling any effects and are thinking of consuming more, wait. Health Canada recommends starting with products that contain 2.5 mg of THC or less, with an equal or higher amount of CBD.
2. You are what you eat.
The effects you feel when consuming edibles can depend on how much you’ve eaten, what you’ve eaten and how quickly your metabolism works. This means that consuming 5 mg of THC one day can produce different effects than consuming 5 mg on another day. But no matter what day it is, always start low and go slow.
3. What you see is what you get.
Edibles sold on OCS.ca must meet strict quality requirements set out in the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations to ensure that the amount of THC and CBD stated on the package is the amount in the product. The illegal market, however, does not need to follow any guidelines or restrictions, so there’s no way to know for sure how much THC or CBD is inside.
4. Beverages are actually edibles.
Even though you don’t eat them, beverages (including tea bags) are considered edibles in the Cannabis Act and on our site.
5. Some edibles are actually extracts.
Although they are similar to edibles in the way they are consumed and absorbed by your body, oils and capsules are considered extracts in the Cannabis Act and on our site. This means they have a 1,000 mg limit of THC per package, while edibles have a 10 mg per package limit.
6. They’re (up to) 10/10.
The maximum amount of THC in a single edible is 10 mg. To be more specific, a package of edibles can have up to 10 mg of THC. So, if there’s only one edible in a package, the unit may contain up to 10 mg of THC — read the label carefully before consuming. If there are five edibles in a package, then each unit may contain up to 2 mg of THC. Alternatively, there is currently no maximum amount of CBD that can be included in edibles.
7. They’re not for kids.
Edibles should be kept out of reach of children. Even though the government imposes strict packaging requirements to protect against accidental consumption and to ensure cannabis products are not appealing to children, parents and caregivers can take additional steps to keep cannabis products from getting into children’s hands, such as keeping them in their original packaging in a place that is not accessible to children. Get more tips on keeping kids away from cannabis.
