Incredible Edibles

by Holly Highlife

The exact origins of cannabis edibles are a bit hazy. (Really?) One of the first recipes can be traced to the Alice B. Toklas Cookbook, where a recipe for Hashish fudge was published in 1955, and cannabis brownies have been unofficial hippie fare for nearly half a century. However, today’s legal recreational and medical edible markets have brought new and improved treats to the table.

These aren’t just for fun. Many people are using edibles for pain relief instead of smoking or vaping cannabis flowers because of the long duration of the effects. Unlike smoking, edibles can take up to two hours to take effect, depending on the individual, and can last for eight to 10 hours.

“These are delicious,” says my friend about the Wana Sour Gummies, a recreational product. “You don’t want to be hungry around these!” Actually, it’s not a bad idea to have a bowl of snacks nearby when using edibles, just in case you want to eat something more. Lots of water is a good idea too.

“It’s very much a body-oriented high,” says Brendon Greney, budtender at Organic Alternatives. “Take it easy on this.” All edibles sold in the store come with an instruction sheet for users. There’s even a “Rookie Cookie” for newbies.

There are differences between the edibles available on the medical and recreational side of the store. The recreational package size is limited to 100mg of THC, and must be divided into no more than 10 mg servings.

Each batch of edibles is tested for strength, and the same brand may vary from batch to batch. You can always ask your budtender how the treats you’re looking at have tested. (It will always be lower then the 10mg per dose limit with recreational edibles.)

Medical edibles may be sold in stronger amounts, and will not always be in 10mg doses. However, they will contain dosing instructions.

Not all edibles are created equally. Most products are infused with THC, while one company, Edipure, takes traditional candies and sprays them with THC. This is not to say Edipure doesn’t work, they’re just created differently and look exactly like their non-sprayed counterparts.

Highly Edible is another company making delicious infused gummy products for both the medical and recreational sides. Their organic and vegan watermelon hearts, fruit bears and various fruit rings are yummy. Be warned that the medically dosed products have a “weedier” taste.

Sweetgrass makes some amazing baked goods. Their peanut butter and jelly cups are extremely tasty. Their brownies are good too, but the PB&J combo rocks. On the medical side, the Wana chocolate brownie is a good bet.

Speaking of chocolate, the medical Cloud Nine bar lives up to its name!

Tired of total THC sweetness? Julie’s Natural Edibles makes a savory, roasted mix of infused sunflower and pumpkin seeds with sea salt, as well as several granolas.

Because of the amazing taste of these treats, and their similarity to traditional candy, it is extremely important to keep them out of the reach of children and pets. Every edible sold comes in a childproof container, but an abundance of caution can save your ass from a lot of trouble.

What if you overdo it? There’s now a product called Mary’s Tonic that alleviates the symptoms of over-indulging. It is important to know that no one has ever died from an overdose of cannabis only. “If you feel overwhelmed, try to relax into it, drink water and move to a room without a lot of stimulation,” says Steve Ackerman of Organic Alternatives. “You’ll feel better soon.”

And what if you want to venture out on your own? Ackerman advises against homemade edibles. “You have no idea what dosage you are getting. You don’t want to overdo it and end up hiding in the closet. It is really important to stick with the dosing and to know what’s in your edibles.”