{"id":57890,"date":"2017-04-19T11:15:12","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T15:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=57890"},"modified":"2017-04-21T11:25:43","modified_gmt":"2017-04-21T15:25:43","slug":"cannabis-edibles-health-effects-420","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/lifestyle\/cannabis-edibles-health-effects-420\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannabis Edibles, Unwrapped: Here’s What No One Tells You"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cannabis
Photo: Courtesy of Sweet Grass Kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The pot brownie is so pass\u00e9. As four new states joined<\/a> the recreational stoner club following last fall\u2019s election, the nation is discovering new ways to eat its THC. (That\u2019s tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive agent that gets you high.)<\/p>\n

South Denver caterer Sweet Grass Kitchen specializes in peanut butter and jelly cups with THC-infused shortbread. The Los Angeles chocolatier To Whom It May boasts healthy cannabis creations, such as smoked almond butter<\/a> truffles, without refined sugars, soy or corn. The Viceland network even hosts an edibles-themed reality show called \u201cBong Appetit\u201d featuring \u201chotboxed\u201d tuna and ice cream with liquid nitrogen pearls of weed juice.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>How Bad Is Booze Really? 6 Crazy Facts About Alcohol<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Understanding Edibles: It’s All a Little Hazy<\/h2>\n

Yet amid all this culinary creativity in a booming edibles market, health experts worry\u00a0that eager new consumers don\u2019t understand that our bodies metabolize marijuana differently when you\u00a0ingest it instead of smoke<\/a>\u00a0it. If you eat it too quickly without waiting to see how it affects you, you might be setting yourself up for more misery than fun. And while you can\u2019t overdose or die from the stuff, you might experience severe anxiety that resembles a panic attack. One study<\/a> found that people who took 10 times the legal dose suffered from psychotic episodes.<\/p>\n

Even a standard dose can knock you off your center. A 2017 National Institutes of Health study<\/a> looking at how much marijuana impacted driving safety found that unlike smokers, people who ingested the drug showed significant impairment between 1.5 and 3.5 hours later. Their pupils were dilated, and they had trouble standing on one leg and doing an exercise involving walking and turning.<\/p>\n

\u201cInterest in edibles is growing. People are talking about it. More celebrities are talking about it,\u201d says Francois Lamy, PhD, of the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University in Ohio, who recently conducted a study<\/a> on the surge of edible mentions on Twitter. \u201cPeople consider it healthier because they\u2019re not smoking it. But they\u2019re so na\u00efve about it.\u201d While more than half of Twitter mentions were positive, 13 percent were negative. Sample tweets included: \u201cI took it and nothing happened\u201d or \u201cI took it and it was too strong.\u201d \u201cThere were a lot of tweets along the lines of \u2018Last night was terrible,\u2019\u201d says Lamy.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>When’s It OK to Cheat? The Pros and Cons of Cheat Days<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sweet
Photo: Courtesy of Sweet Grass Kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First Stop: Your Liver<\/h3>\n

“Nearly a quarter of edible products contained more THC than indicated on the packaging.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When you smoke a joint, you feel high within minutes because the THC goes through the lungs and is quickly absorbed into your blood stream. On the other hand, your liver metabolizes the\u00a0marijuana lurking in food, so it takes longer to feel the drug’s\u00a0full effect.\u00a0\u201cIngested marijuana takes at least 30 to 90 minutes to get absorbed, and the peak is two to four hours,\u201d says neurobehavioral pharmacologist Jenny Wiley, PhD, who studies<\/a> how edible marijuana should be regulated for the research institute RTI International in North Carolina. \u201cOne of the issues with edibles is that people take a little bit, but they won\u2019t feel anything. Then they take more. By the time it hits them, they\u2019ve taken too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

States like Colorado have tried to help consumers make better decisions with labeling<\/a> laws that include dosing information, but Wiley suggests starting out with less until you know how well you tolerate it. That\u2019s why Sweet Grass offers a lower-dose \u201ccanna-butter melt\u201d that\u2019s one-fourth the standard 10 milligram dosage. The cocktail-themed flavors include Mojito Mint, White Russian and Moscow Mule. \u201cWe say it\u2019s like having a glass of wine or a beer,\u201d explains Executive Chef Lauren Finesilver. \u201cIt\u2019s a great entry-level product for people who are curious or haven\u2019t experimented in a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>How to Avoid a Hangover: Your 24-Hour Timeline<\/a><\/p>\n

Cannabis Labeling:\u00a0Anything Goes<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t rely on labels alone, though, especially when one 2015 study<\/a> showed that nearly a quarter of edible products contained more THC than indicated on the packaging. (Never mind those cookies that came from a caterer or your boyfriend\u2019s kitchen.) \u201cPeople like edibles because there\u2019s no smoking, smell or second-hand smoke involved,\u201d explains Sheryl Cates, deputy director of RTI\u2019s food, nutrition and obesity policy research group who led focus group on edibles in Washington and Colorado.<\/p>\n

“Experts aren\u2019t sure if edibles hit women differently than men.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cSome people say it gives them a more relaxing, laid-back kind of high than smoking. But there were also problems with unexpected highs that lasted longer than people had anticipated.\u201d In her focus group, one woman complained of still feeling high the next morning after eating an edible the night before. Another got so unexpectedly stoned on a camping trip she worried she wouldn\u2019t be able to respond in an emergency. Now one Washington state cannabis chocolate manufacturer includes this warning on its label: \u201cUntil you know the effects, just eat half!\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>This Graphic Shows How Much Sugar Is Hiding on Your Plate<\/a><\/p>\n

So Where\u2019s the Research?<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s up to you to figure out how much you handle because there\u2019s a shocking lack of research on how edibles affect different people, says Wiley. \u201cMarijuana is still federally illegal,\u201d she says. \u201cIn order to do research, we can\u2019t buy what\u2019s a legal product in one state and ship it to our research lab in North Carolina,\u201d she says. \u201cIt stymies doing the kind of research we need to do.\u201d That means experts aren\u2019t sure if edibles hit women differently than men. (Some animal research suggests it does, says Wiley). The same goes for whether you eat them on an empty stomach<\/a>, although she admits it\u2019s common sense that you\u2019ll feel high faster if your body isn\u2019t trying to compete with a big pasta meal to metabolize your marijuana.<\/p>\n

Until more research is available, it\u2019s best to approach edibles just like you found your sweet spot with drinking \u2013 carefully. \u201cAs the culture starts to learn more about marijuana, people will learn more about how it affects them the same way people became knowledgeable about alcohol<\/a>,\u201d adds Morgan Fox, spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project. \u201cThey have to know their own personal limits.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A quarter of cannabis edibles contain more THC than advertised, and women might get hit hardest. Health experts dish on the little-known effects, just in time for 4\/20. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":57915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,12,15],"tags":[28,159,39,190,282,333,341,360],"class_list":["post-57890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-mental-health","category-stress","tag-alcohol","tag-anxiety","tag-dessert","tag-drugs","tag-stress","tag-sugar","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2stress-management"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}