Many people now prefer to take marijuana through edibles rather than smoking them. While consuming edibles in your system, you should probably know a few things about edibles. What are their effects? How long do edibles stay in your system? Are they legal? What factors determine if a drug test is about to bust you or not? Continue reading to know all about edibles.
Key Takeaways
- Edibles are simply food or drinks containing any active ingredient of marijuana such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
- Some side effects of ingesting edibles in your system include paranoia, hallucinations, panic attacks, lack of coordination, agitation, and psychotic episodes.
- The effects of edibles may last for at least 6 hours, but they remain in the system for much longer—as long as 30 days.
- Some countries where edibles are legal for recreational purposes include Georgia, Malta, Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Thailand, etc.
What Are Edibles?
Edibles are simply food or drinks containing any active ingredient of marijuana such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Edibles are very popular because the presence of marijuana in them is not easy to detect when you see them. Marijuana is infused into common food items such as baked goods, candies, chocolates, brownies, gummy bears, and drinks.
Although the labels on their packaging might show that the edible has THC, when unwrapped, one can easily mistake it for just any other food item. Edibles can appear similar to regular candy and other snacks. Parents and guardians must take extra care with the type of snacks they leave lying around children.
Edibles are known to produce a delayed high compared to the other ways of consuming marijuana, but the effects are more long-lasting than all others.
How Does the Body Process Edibles?
If you have ever wondered why taking marijuana through smoking or vaping does not achieve the high that consuming edibles does, I am about to explain it to you. When you eat edibles, they are ingested into your digestive system and broken down into smaller parts, just like every other food you consume. This explains why you don’t feel the effects of edibles until about 30 minutes to 2 hours after consumption. That is how long it takes for the Cannabis to proceed to the liver where delta-9 THC is converted to 11-hydroxy THC.
When this happens, the high sets in and it is nothing like the effects of smoking marijuana. This process takes about two hours and because the high does not kick in immediately, one might carelessly take more and more edibles than necessary just to quickly get high.
Are Edibles Safe?
Edibles are quickly becoming a more convenient way of ingesting marijuana for many people. Unfortunately, consuming edibles in your system has some side effects and can become unsafe when consumed excessively. Smoking marijuana quickly gets the user high unlike consuming edibles. When you consume edibles, you are unlikely to feel the effect until at least 30 minutes or at most 2 hours after. During this time frame, many people are prone to keep eating more edibles because they have not achieved the high they need at that time. This can result in overdosing because they will likely consume more than they ought to. Overdosing in turn could very well lead to death in some cases.
What Are the Side Effects of Edibles?
Some side effects of ingesting edibles in your system include:
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations
- Nausea
- Panic attacks
- Heart problems (this can also result in heart attack)
- Impaired judgment
- Lack of coordination
- Bloodshot eyes
- Agitation
- Psychotic episodes
- Drowsiness
- Dry mouth
- Impaired mobility
- Problem with memory or concentration
Do Edibles Show Up on Drug Tests?
The simple and short answer to this is: Yes, edibles show up in a drug test. Marijuana only gets absorbed into your bloodstream when it is smoked, but eating edibles means ingesting THC into your digestive system and then the bloodstream. Even if its effects might have faded a few hours after use, the edible in your system will take longer to leave so it will definitely show up on a drug test.
How Long Do Edibles Stay In Your System?
The length of time in which edibles stay in your system can vary depending on how much or how often you use them. Edibles can remain in your system for more than 3-12 days after you use them, even after the effects have worn off. Those who consume edibles habitually will need to consume more at a time to get the high they need. This would result in many edibles in their system which may take a long time to break down. Hence, habitual users can have edibles left in the body system for as long as 90 days.
Factors That Affect Detection Time of Edibles in Your System
The effects of edibles may last for at least 6 hours but they remain in the system for much longer. They can remain for as long as 30 days. In hair tests, they can even be detected 90 days after the last use. Different factors make the detection time of edibles in your system vary and they include:
Frequency of Use
The frequency of the use of edibles is a major factor in detecting edibles in your system. It has been proven that marijuana remains in the body for a long period depending on how long a person has been using, how much they use, or how frequently they use.
Amount of THC Consumed
One other factor that affects the detection time of edibles is the amount of THC consumed. More edibles consumed means more THC consumed, and also more time it would take for the body to break the THC down. On the flip side, the less THC consumed means it will be broken down faster, leading to the unlikeliness of the edibles being detected.
Metabolism
The THC in edibles is broken down just like normal food items are broken down through the process of metabolism. Those who have a high metabolism break down THC faster than those who have a low metabolism. They also have lesser chances of the edibles in their system being detected during a drug test than those with low metabolism do.
Gender
A person’s gender affects the detection time of edibles in their system. Females have more body fat than males. As a result, their bodies have low metabolism and they are unable to break down the THC in the edibles quickly.
Type of Drug Test
The type of drug test carried out also affects the detection time of edibles in your system. For instance, blood tests can only reliably detect edibles within 3 to 4 hours of the last use, but urine tests on the other hand can detect edibles even 30 days after use. Hair tests, however, are the scariest as they can detect edibles as far back as 90 days!
Where Are Edibles Legal?
Although edibles have such glaring effects on the user, they are still legal in some places. The issue of the legalization of edibles varies with each country since some have legalized the use of these substances either for recreational or medical purposes only or for both.
Some countries where edibles are legal for recreational purposes include Georgia, Malta, Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Thailand, etc.
Some countries where edibles are legal for medical purposes only include Thailand, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, etc.
In the United States, edibles are not considered legal at the Federal level, however, they are legal in some states. It started in 2012 when Colorado approved the legalization of cannabis for recreation and sales. It has been a decade since then and more states in the United States have legalized the use of Cannabis for recreational and medical purposes. These states include:
- Colorado
- Michigan
- Virginia
- New Mexico
- California
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Vermont
- Guam
- Massachusetts
- Illinois
- Arizona
- Montana
- Washington, D.C.
- New Jersey
- New York
- Maine
- Nevada
- Alaska
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
Do Edibles Last Longer Than Marijuana?
Even though the effects of an edible do not kick in as quickly as smoking marijuana does, it lasts longer and can last up to 12 hours or more.
How Can I Alter The Effects of Edibles?
There is literally nothing you can take to alter the effects of the edibles. First, try to calm down. You’re going to be fine and the effects will pass away in a few hours. Get a friend to sit with you while it does so they can watch over you and prevent you from harming yourself as a result of the high. Also, try seeing a movie or just falling asleep.
What Happens When a Child Eats Edibles?
When a child eats edibles, they will experience the same symptoms such as slurred speech, intoxication, nausea, trouble breathing, anxiety, dizziness, and weakness. In some cases, the child could begin to hallucinate, the blood pressure could drop or the child could even go into a comma in more serious cases.
If a child eats an edible, know first that the effects will not kick in for another one or two hours after consumption. Immediately you discover the accidental consumption, reach out to trained personnel at the poison control center who will tell you what to do. While you put a call through, find out how much THC was in the edible and how much the child consumed so you can relay that to the trained personnel.
How Long Will I Have to Wait to Take a Urine Drug Test After Eating Edibles?
If you have to take a urine drug test after using an edible, you will need to have used it 2-5 days ago if it was just one time or 3-6 weeks if you are a regular user.
What happens When You Ingest Edibles?
When you ingest edibles in your system, the THC present makes the brain release dopamine. Dopamine is the chemical responsible for the sense of pleasure or relaxation that you feel when you ingest edibles in your system.
If you are not careful when ingesting edibles, you can take too much and get too high. First-time users of edibles should take extra caution. Since the high does not set in immediately, they might want to keep taking more edibles until they begin to feel high. This can lead to overdosing and can be very dangerous.
Conclusion
Edibles are substances that have the potential to do some harm. Unfortunately, they can also be addictive because of the effect they have on people who are just trying to get a break from their lives and feel good for a few hours. Then, they begin to crave that feeling for more and more hours at a time. The effects that follow can be as mild as an increased heart rate, yet as devastating as a heart attack. It is as a result of this that we urge you to be cautious in your use of edibles.
If you or anyone you know is dealing with an addiction to edibles, do not hesitate to reach out to a doctor or therapist immediately. You can also send us a mail here.
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