THC edibles are hardly new. In fact, people ingested marijuana oil for thousands of years – mostly for therapeutic purposes.
Today, these products are far beyond plain oil. With recreational legalization in Canada and 11 U.S. states (so far), edibles make up a huge portion of the market.
They also make great alternatives to smoking dry herb, which can cause irritation and may not be an option to people with conditions like COPD or asthma.
But if you’ve never tried these products before, it’s important to understand what THC edibles are before you take the plunge.
What Are THC Edibles?
When we think of THC edibles, the classic pot brownie comes to mind. But these are just the tip of the iceberg.
Technically, the word can cover any kind of ingestible THC product. The full list is way too exhaustive to cover, but in a nutshell, edibles include things like baked goods, candies and drinks.
Within those categories like an untold number of different products. Given the sheer level of choice, there’s definitely something for everyone.
Best THC Edibles
Before you go wading into the world of THC edibles, keep in mind that it’s a very big market. There are a lot of products, ranging from fantastic to downright terrible.
Separating the wheat from the chaff is tough, which is why we’ve taken the time to do it for you. If you’re looking to start shopping, check out some of the following amazing products.
This coffee and doughnuts chocolate bar is one of our Maggie’s Farms favorite products. So, if you live in Colorado, keep reading!
With a 100mg content of THC, Coda’s signature collection is handmade with high-quality ingredients and the best flavor combinations. You can also find their truffles, that seem more a work of art than chocolate bites with THC.
But if you aren’t a chocolate lover, or if you’re craving for something different, we recommend you to check Maggie’s Farm. The #1 store in the State of Colorado (based on their Leafly reviews) have teamed up with the best cannabis edibles manufacturers and you’ll find on their website a great variety of THC products like: Cheeba Chews, baked goods like cookies, gummies and drinks.
You can’t deny that peanut butter and chocolate make a great team, with Dr. Norm’s Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip being an example of this recipe done perfectly.
Each bag contains 10 cookies, each dosed at a nicely balanced 10mg per piece. The fact that they’re vegan is an added bonus if you have a special diet.
A classic twist on a popular favorite, Atlas brings you its Lemon, Blueberry & Almond Clusters. Made with solvent-free hybrid rosin, Atlas brings you a pure, uplifting experience to awaken the senses and give you a nice, energetic high.
Each bag contains eight squares with 10mg of THC each – a perfect amount for moderate users.
Sometimes, it’s fun to go back to the basics without any frills or fancy ingredients. What better way to do this than with THC Milk Chocolate from Kiva Confections?
With over a decade of experience in the THC edible industry, Kiva Confections perfected a creamy milk chocolate using cold water extract and sustainable cacao.
Each bar contains 100mg of THC, conveniently split into 5mg squares – perfect for beginners or those who want precise dosage control.
Binske Blackberry Lemon Gummies are a perfect, all-natural product for a relaxing, mood-enhancing high.
Made with raw ingredients, these gummies are colored and flavored naturally for superior quality in every 10mg serving, with a total of 10 gummies per bag.
Petra Tart Cherry Mints from Kiva Confections are a great choice for people who want something that’s both mild and not overly sweet. The product is sugar-free (sweetened with stevia) and vegan, making it appealing to all dietary needs.
Each bag contains 40 servings. At 2.5mg of THC each, this product is perfect for newcomers, but has enough units for more experienced users to get what they need – which is a relaxed, uplifting high.
Lagunitas Hi-Fi Hops IPA takes Lagunitas’ beer-making skills and teams up with the cannabis experts at Absolute Xtracts. The end result is a delicious, alcohol-free IPA with no carbs or calories.
Infused with 10mg of THC from Absolute Xtracts’ outdoor cannabis, this moderately potent drink provides a tropical, berry flavor that will have drink enthusiasts hooked.
Sublime Freaze Pops provide a unique twist on an old favorite. Each pack contains two ice pops – one Blue Raspberry and one Fruit Punch – with 10mg of THC per snack.
Perfect for a nice THC buzz on a hot summer day, Sublime Freaze Pops are a convenient, fun way to beat the heat with a relaxing, happy high.
Whether you’re hosting a special tea party or simply relaxing alone, Kikoko Sensuali-Tea has you covered.
Aside from having 7mg THC – the perfect moderate dose – the product provides unique health benefits from its natural hibiscus blend.
Although it’s caffeine-free, don’t be surprised if you feel a bit energized and potentially even aroused.
Enjoy a balanced experience with FOCUS HoneyShot. Containing 6mg of CBD and 2mg of THC, this product’s aim is to give you a nice energy boost while still keeping your head clear and relaxed. It’s perfect for those who are sick of coffee’s jarring effects.
A versatile product, you can consume FOCUS directly or mix it in with food or drinks.
Born from a single chocolate chip cookie recipe, Julie Berliner established Sweet Grass Kitchen in 2009. Based in Colorado, her company grew exponentially from a single location to a household name among distributors.
Today, over 500 state dispensaries carry their high-quality edibles. Infused with homemade cannabutter and distillate sourced directly from their homegrown sativa strain, Sweet Grass Kitchen maintains strict quality control from seed to sale.
Order THC Edibles Online
In Canada, edibles will be available to order online from licensed government sources on December 17th.
In the U.S., some states allow you to buy edibles and have them delivered to your door via courier. Most, however, don’t allow this.
There are other dispensaries operating outside government licensing that do allow you to order online.
How to Make THC Edibles
Given the sheer number of THC edibles out there, detailing each and every recipe is going to turn this into a novel. But it never hurts to learn some of the fundamentals, in case you decide to try your hand at making edibles.
Before we gloss over the methods, let’s look at one fundamental step, known as “decarboxylation.”
Initially, THC sits inertly in acid form. With the application of heat, the acid – known as THCA – becomes active as THC. This is the decarboxylation process.
If you don’t decarb your flower, then you won’t feel high when you eat the edibles.
Now, keeping that in mind, let’s look at the different approaches.
Essentially, THC edibles can be made at home in two ways. Baked goods use some kind of fat, like butter or vegetable oil, to extract the THC from the decarbed herb. Then, just add them to the recipe mix and cook as normal.
Some candy recipes call for oil-based extract. But other require clear tincture. This tincture uses high proof grain alcohol (like Everclear) and lot of time to make. Where you can make cannabis butter or oil in 45 minutes (minimum), alcohol-based tincture can take weeks if you want a strong final product.
Now, let’s talk about drinks. These vary greatly in difficulty and may or may not time. With tea, for instance, you can just add dry herb to the blend and let it steep with boiling water.
Alcoholic cocktails, on the other hand, require days or weeks of slowly marinating in their own solution.
How Long Do THC Edibles Stay In Your System?
It’s hard to give a definite answer to this one. Some THC edibles take longer to digest than others. The amount of time before the edible’s effects kick in also depends on things like stomach contents, THC tolerance, volume and potency. There’s also no clear line as to how long it takes for THC to leave your system. If you’re worried about a drug test, keep in mind that some can detect marijuana use days, weeks or months after the fact, especially if you frequently use marijuana.
THC Edible Dosage
Dosing THC edibles isn’t very precise. If you’re a medical user who requires a very specific amount per dose, then edibles won’t work so well. At the same time, recreational consumers have to tread carefully to void overdoing it. In this case, remember the classing mantra, “start low and go slow.”
Start with a very small portion of the edible, then wait one to two hours. If you feel no effect, try eating some more.
One thing you don’t want to do is pop a whole edible at once. Beginners typically don’t need more than two to five milligrams to start, while experienced users can handle 100mg or more.
Calculating the Potency of THC Edibles
When making edibles, figuring out the potency requires some number crunching. It depends on the strength/amount of your oil/cannabutter/tincture and edible volume.
Alternately, you can save yourself the trouble and use a handy THC edible calculator, like this one.
Can You Overdose On THC Edibles?
Yes, it’s possible to overdose on THC (edible or otherwise). However, we use the term “overdose” rather loosely here. Typically, we picture overdoses as being life-threatening mistakes brought on by hard drugs.
A THC “overdose,” while unpleasant, isn’t inherently dangerous. To date, nobody has died as a direct result of THC consumption.
You’ll know if you’ve overdosed when you notice some of the following symptoms:
- Severe dizziness
- Nausea
- Severe anxiety/paranoia
- Headache
- Visual/auditory hallucinations (rare)
- Rapid heart rate
- High blood pressure
The first two symptoms are the most common. Severe dizziness and nausea are symptoms of what’s colloquially known as “greening out.”
THC Edibles: FAQs
Most frequent questions and answers
When ingested, THC’s effects usually last six to eight hours (as opposed to around two to three hours when smoked).
THC content in edibles is expressed in milligrams, which you’ll see on the product’s packaging. Measuring your own is difficult without either complicated testing equipment or knowing the potency of the dry herb used for the edibles.
Yes. Store-bought THC oil is the same as homemade oil or cannabutter, which is required for baked goods and some candies.
You first have to decarboxylate the cannabis.
First, coarsely grind your dry herb, then lay it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place it in the oven at 220oF (105oC) for 25 minutes until the herb is a light golden brown.
No. The THC in the edibles doesn’t degrade. However, the food itself can expire.
Possibly. It’s rare, but can occur if your dose far exceeds your tolerance level.
Whether edible or smoked, the medium won’t affect THC’s length of time in your system. The actual amount of time it shows in a urine test varies based on consumption frequency, metabolism and body weight, to name a few.
First-time users will show THC in their urine five to eight days after consumption. For daily users, however, it could take over two months.
Tachycardia – commonly known as a heart attack – is possible if you have a heart condition. Even in normal doses, THC causes a brief increase in heart rate and blood pressure. An overdose, however, spells big trouble, as it did for one inexperienced Canadian man who consumed 90mg of THC.
No. The oil in vape cartridges is meant for smoking, not ingestion.
Edibles are tricky to test and can’t be tested using the same techniques used on dry herb. Instead, they use “cryo-milling,” which grinds the edibles into a powder before being chemically tested.
CBD (cannabidiol) doesn’t make you high. This is the key difference between THC edibles and CBD edibles.