Potency of Cannabis Edibles

HIGHLIGHTS

• The intensity and longevity of the effects produced by edible cannabis products is dependant upon on many factors, including weight, sex, amount of food ingested prior to consumption and metabolic rate.
• Consumption amount depends on your body’s response; try a small amount and wait at least two hours to determine any potential effects.
• Buying legal edible cannabis is the best way to ensure the product contains the amount of THC and CBD it says it does.

Edible cannabis products provide a smoke-free alternative to consuming dried cannabis, but there are many factors that should be considered when seeking to determine your preferred consumption amount,  potency and potential effects. Here’s what you need to know — and why you should always buy legal.

How Much Should I Consume?

The way you consume cannabis will alter the onset, duration and intensity of effects, so if you are trying edibles for the first time, start low and go slow.

Unlike smoking dried cannabis, which can produce effects within minutes, the effects from consuming cannabis-infused products can be delayed from 30 minutes up to three hours. This delay is because the tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and other active ingredients in the edible cannabis product enter the body through the digestive tract, where they are absorbed into the bloodstream and travel to the liver. There they are metabolized and released back into the bloodstream. These active ingredients then enter the brain and the rest of the central nervous system, potentially producing an effect.

To avoid overconsumption, start with a very small amount and wait at least two hours to see how it affects your body before ingesting more.

In contrast, smoking dried cannabis allows the active ingredients to be absorbed by the blood in the lungs and move quickly to the brain, producing an almost immediate effect, possibly within minutes.

Because digestion delays the onset of effects of edible cannabis products, there is the potential for overconsumption. To avoid consuming too much, start with a very small amount (2.5 mg of THC or less), especially if you are trying a new product, and wait at least two hours to see how it affects your body before taking more.

And remember: The intensity and longevity of the effects produced by edible cannabis products depend on factors such as your weight and sex, amount of food ingested prior to consumption and your metabolic rate.

Why Buy Legal?

Accurate THC and CBD Potency
When you purchase an edible cannabis product from the legal market, either through OCS.ca or a Licensed Retailer, you can be sure the THC and CBD content in the product is correct. Current regulations allow for no more than 10 mg of THC in a package, to prevent overconsumption. Edibles that are available through the illegal market are unregulated, and may contain harmful substances, such microbial or chemical contaminants, and in some cases much higher concentrations of THC than advertised.

Protecting Youth
Health Canada does not allow the sale of products that are meant appeal to youth and, therefore, has placed restrictions on certain flavours of cannabis that would appeal to children (ie. confectionary, dessert). All products sold through OCS are also guaranteed to be in child-resistant and child-proof packaging.