Eating Marijuana Vs Smoking Weed: How The Consumption Method Affects Your High
Various factors determine the type of experience you will have with a cannabis product. Some of the more common ones are; the strain, THC potency, THC to CBD ratio, etc. But one of the main factors that affect how high and how long you stay high is the consumption method.
So which is better? Eating marijuana vs smoking weed?
Cannabis is a versatile plant that can be consumed in myriad ways. Smoking is one of the most popular consumption methods, but there are several options if you find out that’s not your scene.
The second most popular consumption method is ingesting cannabis using infused foods, commonly known as edibles.
Some people swear that smoking weed is the best way to consume cannabis. Likewise, some consumers can’t be caught without their pot edibles. But which is better? Which method causes the most effects?
In this eating marijuana vs smoking weed article, we look at both consumption methods to determine which is better for you.
First, we look at smoking.
How Smoking Weed Works
Smoking involves lighting the plant material to release the active cannabinoids, mainly THC and CBD and other beneficial compounds such as terpenes. Smoking is usually through a joint, blunt or a spliff. However, some people prefer taking big rips from a bong, bowl and other pipes.
So how does smoking work?
To explain this, we’ll use a joint as an example as it’s the most common method of smoking weed. A joint is simply ground bud rolled in rolling papers. The bud, aka raw plant material, contains cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. Terpenes and cannabinoids, specifically THC and CBD, are of the most importance.
The raw bud in the joint doesn’t contain THC in its active form. Instead, it contains THCA or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that must be heated to convert into THC. This is where the lighter comes in.
By lighting the end of the joint, you achieve two things. You heat the THCA, converting it into the active THC, and you vaporize the THC, which you then inhale through the smoke.
Once you inhale the smoke, THC and other cannabinoids and chemical compounds are delivered to the lungs. THC is absorbed directly into the bloodstream via the alveoli.
The blood then carries it to the brain, where it binds to cannabinoid receptors of the endocannabinoid system, notably the CB1 receptor causing the euphoria typically associated with being high.
The time between inhaling the THC being absorbed into the bloodstream and reaching the brain is short, which explains why you feel the effects of smoking weed within seconds or minutes of taking a hit.
Smoking has a rapid onset, as other inhalation techniques do. Vaping and dabbing work the same way, the only difference being you don’t combust the weed and instead heat it until it vaporizes, then you inhale the vapour.
How does eating marijuana work?
Can You Get High From Eating Weed?
This depends on what you mean by “eat weed.” If you mean eating raw buds just as you bought them from an online dispensary, then no, it won’t get you high. So does eating weed do anything? Can you eat weed?
Yes, you can eat raw weed. In fact, researchers are investigating the beneficial effects of eating raw weed. However, you should note that this type of weed doesn’t contain the active ingredients of marijuana and, therefore, won’t get you high.
If you are to compare eating weed vs smoking weed, talk about marijuana edibles that contain the active THC and will definitely get you high.
How Eating Marijuana Edibles Work
Wondering what happens when you eat weed edibles? Can you eat weed edibles and get high?
Marijuana edibles will get you just as high as smoking weed and more in some cases. However, ingesting cannabis edibles is a whole different experience than smoking weed, from how they are prepared, consumed, to how the active ingredients get to your brain.
A marijuana edible is a cannabis-infused food item. Weed edibles have come a long way from the times of space cookies and pot brownies. Today, you can use weed in beverages like coffee, tea, soda and even alcohol or candies.
As mentioned before, edibles are made using regular food items such as chocolates, cakes or candies. So when you eat an edible, it has to pass through the digestive tract, where it undergoes digestion.
The edible is broken down and compounds absorbed in the stomach, among them THC and other cannabinoids. THC is then transported to the liver, where some of it is broken down further into 11-hydroxy-THC through the first-pass effect process.
11-hydroxy-THC is a more potent compound with a longer half-life than THC. This 11-hydroxy-THC combines with regular THC and is transported to the brain, where it interacts with the cannabinoid receptors of the ECS, causing the high.
Effects from an edible peak within 4 hours and last up to 24 hours. But how do edibles compare to smoking weed?
Eating Marijuana Vs Smoking Weed: How Do They Compare?
1. Absorption Of THC
THC from smoking weed is absorbed directly into the bloodstream via the lungs. THC from the edibles goes through the digestion process where it is absorbed into the stomach and transported to the liver, where it is converted into 11-hydroxy-THC before it can reach the brain.
2. Onset Of Effects
You can feel the effects of smoking weed almost instantly because THC is absorbed immediately into the bloodstream and transported to the brain. The effects of smoking marijuana can peak within 30 minutes.
On the other hand, the effects of eating marijuana are delayed as the product has to go through the digestive process, which takes time. The THC is then further metabolized into 11-hydroxy-THC in the liver. You can start experiencing the effects between 30 minutes and 120 minutes depending on the type of edible and whether you took it on an empty stomach or not, and whether the diet contained fats.
3. How Potent The Effects Are
Eating cannabis is said to provide a much stronger high than inhalation. This is because of how the body processes the cannabinoid. When THC is absorbed in the stomach, it is metabolized by the liver into 11-hydroxy-THC, which is more potent than THC and has a higher affinity for CB1 receptors.
On the other hand, smoking produces faster effects, which means users can control how much they use. Once you have swallowed an edible, there is nothing much you can do about it apart from riding it out.
4. How Long The Effects Last
Effects from smoking bud kick in faster, peak within 30 minutes and last for an hour or two before they begin subsiding. On the other hand, edible kicks in between 30 to 120 minutes, peak within 4 hours, and last between 4 to 8 hours, with some consumers reporting residue effects up to 24 hours later.
Where To Buy Edibles & Weed Flower In Canada
Whether you prefer smoking weed vs eating marijuana, you should always use high-quality products to ensure safety and effectiveness. One of the best ways to ensure quality is to buy weed from a reputable online dispensary.
If you prefer ingesting and wish to purchase weed online, LowPriceBud has a wide range of edibles, including this Mary’s Medibles 300mg Indica chocolate chunk that delivers 300mg of premium THC. You can also go for Twisted Extracts Black Cherry ZZZ Bomb with 80mg THC per packet.
If you smoke, you can now buy cheap buds online from Canada’s top mail-order marijuana dispensary. Get the classic Granddaddy Purple at LowPriceBud at the lowest price in the market. Or try out the Mike Tyson strain for a guaranteed indica knockout! Order weed online from LowPriceBud and enjoy premium quality at the lowest prices!