Activated cannabis compounds such as cannabinoids and terpenes contained in your selected edible are absorbed through your digestive tract, including your liver.
Your method of ingestion will vary the onset time and the length of the cannabis-induced experience.
Smoking and Vaporzing: Onset: Immediate
Duration of Experience: 1-4 hours
Mode of Action: When a person smokes cannabis, they immediately absorb the cannabinoids into the blood, which flows directly to the brain where the most abundant quantity of CB1 receptors resides.
Edibles: Onset: 15m-1.5 hours
Duration of the experience: 3-6 hours
Mode of Action: You primarily absorb Cannabis edibles through your digestive tract, including your liver. When you consume THC via an edible, your liver will convert it to 11-Hydroxy-THC. This active metabolite will cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to CB1 receptors inducing a long-lasting experience. Most edibles take longer to onset and also last longer. This will vary depending on the type of edible and your own body.
Sublingual Application: Onset: Immediate – 20 minutes
Duration of Experience: 2-4 hours
Mode of Action: When placing cannabis sublingual preparations under the tongue or between the gums and the cheek, it is absorbed via the sublingual mucosa and moves directly to the blood and then to the brain, where the most abundant quantity of CB1 receptors reside.
You will most likely not experience the psychoactive effects of cannabis if you consume raw cannabis. There is only one exception to this rule I am aware of: if you juice fresh, natural cannabis combined with citrus fruit or citric acid, you may experience a shift in perception that will last several hours. This is because citric acid has the power to oxidize cannabis and therefore cause a redox reaction potentiating the THCA into THC.
We always suggest starting small and working your dosage up to your desired experience. Remember, you can always ingest more, but you can’t go back if you overdo it! The state has determined that 5mg of THC is a single dose for a recreational user. This can be misleading, as each person’s endocannabinoid system and body is going to process cannabis differently. If you are brand new to cannabis, we suggest you start small – perhaps with only 2.5mg. Another good trick if you are new to cannabis edibles is to make sure there is some CBD in your edibles. CBD has the potential to help reduce anxiety and create a well-balanced cannabis edible experience.
1. Grind up cannabis flowers and/or trim.
2. Spread out cannabis on cookie sheet or baking pan in an even, thin layer. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
3. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
4. Once pre-heated, place baking sheet of cannabis in oven and bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes, open the oven door and turn off the oven. Leave the cannabis in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
Citric acid can be used to make a citric acid extraction, where the citric acid decarboxylates the cannabis. See the link below for more information.
When juicing raw cannabis a higher concentration of raw cannabinoid acids are available. This means that most people can consume more cannabinoids without the side effects or with a minimal side effects of the psychoactive experience. All the potential health benefits associated with consuming cannabinoids apply to juicing raw cannabis. In addition to that, it is possible that raw cannabis juice is also high in antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals.
You can juice either the leaves or the fresh buds of the cannabis plant. If you use the fresh buds, cannabinoid levels will be much higher in your juice. Make sure if you use the fresh buds, and don’t desire a psychoactive THC experience that the buds are literally just picked off the plant, and that you do not use any citrus fruit in your juice. Conversely, if you desire a psychoactive experience from your juice, use buds and add them to citrus fruit.
In order to juice cannabis and not activate the cannabinoids you must use a masticating juicer.
