Responsible oral consumption is a strong topic during this year’s holidays with the release of legal edibles, but it can be a topic anytime. If you require cannabis for a certain problem in your life, it is responsible to use the right variety. Personally, I should be taking an edible dose of cannabis before bed, for my nearly life-crippling insomnia.
Oral consumption for sleep
The effects of cannabinoids last a long time after being eaten and digested compared to when they are vaporized or smoked. This makes oral consumption ideal for a full night of sedation. I am missing this oral dose in my nightly routine. Call it a financial problem catalyzed by my even more necessary daytime cannabimimetic therapy. I still do enjoy a reasonably large dose of edibles once in a blue moon, and what is a better time to indulge than the holiday season?
How much is too much? That is unfortunately hard to judge by milligrams of THC. There is a big difference between the variety of edible just barely available in time for the holiday season from legal stores here in Canada. Cookies and candies each metabolize with their own unique process, but a specific amount can be gifted. So what’s on my wish list?
Boosting bio-availability
I would prefer an edible with at least 100 mg of THC. This should be mixed into a small amount of good fats to burry my insomnia in a grave for a night. Fat protects THC from the liver, preventing it from breaking down and metabolizing into other psychoactive variations of itself. This helps increase the overall bio-availability. CBD can also slow THC’s metabolism. On the contrary, though, it mediates THC’s potency and efficiency by changing the shape of the cannabinoid receptors.
Oral consumption with CBD and THC
Oral consumption of type 2 cannabis blends with ratios of 3:1 THC:CBD often maintain their sedative effect throughout the night. This is partly due to CBD helping stop enzymes in the liver from digesting cannabinoids, even itself! A little CBD will also prevent the body from building a tolerance to THC. This allows nighttime doses to not contribute to tolerance and conflict with the effectiveness of any THC needed throughout the day. Treats precisely filled with fat can be used to help extend cannabis’s duration instead, yet large amounts of fat and sugar are obviously unwarranted for insomnia and many other ailments. Thankfully though, there is always an excuse for a treat around the holidays!
No chewing on a candy
‘CBD gummies’ topped internet searches in 2018 and are still great gift options this year. It is common to find packages of 1000mg CBD gummies, but they can be found with either less or more too. Personally, I would rather a little or a lot of blissful cannabinoid intoxication. Candy that is not engorging with fat exposes THC to an unprotected assault by the digestive system. So, pure THC gummies won’t be as effective when eaten on their own. Some candies can instead be left to dissolve and absorb directly through the mouth. For certain people, cannabis is actually more beneficial when taken as a sublingual. For CBD on the other hand, it protects itself from the liver, so oral consumption is still an effective way to consume this non-intoxicating medicine.
Making metabolism choices
In terms of edibles, brownies and gummies are not metabolized the same due to their contents. An edible without a fat lacks bio-availability. If absorbed through the mouth the effects will onset within ten to fifteen minutes. Those effects will instead be more pronounced and longer-lasting if it consumes orally but can take anywhere from half an hour to one and a half hours to kick in.
Furthermore, the cannabis product that went into the edible makes a drastic impression on the effect as well. Distillate filled candies won’t have as much sedating CBN as a cookie baked with an oil, like Pheonix Tears. A distillate might be better for daytime use, whereas a full spectrum, decarbed blend will be better for falling asleep with. Festive activities are often best enjoyed a little less sedated and more in a state of peaceful bliss.
Cannabis is diverse for many situations, so it would be complicated to put just one kind of edible on my wishlist. Cookies or candies are both preferred on special occasions. As long as their not filled with synthetic stabilizers and anonymous ingredients. In other words, it will likely be enjoyed as long they weren’t produced by a conglomerate company relying on stock market success and Health Canada Regulations instead of real customers.
Photo courtesy of I Love Growing Marijuana