Is It Safe to Eat an Edible?

Edibles refer to food products infused with marijuana available as chocolate bars, gummies, candies, and more, which serve as an alternative to smoking marijuana.

Edibles come in various forms, including:

• Baked goods
• Candies
• Gummies
• Chocolates
• Lozenges
• Beverages

Edibles, when consumed, exhibit short-term and long-term effects on the brain.

Short term effects

After consuming edibles, they are absorbed into the bloodstream through the liver and carried to the brain and other organs.

The effect occurs after one to three hours and include:

• Altered senses
• Distorted sense of time
• Mood swings
• Impaired memory
• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Psychosis (disconnected from reality)
• Impaired coordination
• Fear
• Anxiety
• Difficulty in thinking clearly
• Increased appetite

Long-term effects result in some permanent changes to the brain, such as losing mental abilities and functioning.

Overdose with edibles can lead to:

• Extreme sedation
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Thinking and memory impairment
• Vomiting
• Cardiac stress

Edibles have become popular because of the following reasons:

1. Provides relaxation and anxiety relief: The active ingredient of edibles, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is responsible for anxiety relief and making you feel more relaxed.
2. Pain management: Consuming THC provides sustained analgesic effects more than smoking, serving as an excellent pain reliever that can effectively treat symptoms of conditions, such as
   • Arthritis
   • Cancer pain
   • Fibromyalgia
   • Neuropathic pain
3. Muscle spasm control: Research suggests that people taking cannabis have reduced muscle spasms and other pain.
4. Less intoxicating: A study has shown that people prefer taking cannabis through the oral route because it is less intoxicating compared to other routes.
5. Avoids health risks: Cannabis smoking is linked with lung inflammation and bronchitis, whereas edibles do not pose this risk.
6. Antiseizure effects: Cannabis has been shown to potentially control seizures in people with epilepsy syndromes. However, more research is required to justify the use of cannabis for seizure control.

Most people prefer edibles over smoking marijuana because they are less harmful compared to smoking.

Lung inflammation due to smoking can eventually lead to lung infection. Edibles do not have such risks because they are not absorbed in the lungs.

Cannabis smoking and tobacco smoking are similar in toxicity because both contain a variety of toxins and cancer-causing agents.

Consuming edibles may not pose cancer risk or lung-related risk and may be safer in these aspects. However, there are high chances of overdosing and accidental ingestion with edibles.

Accidental ingestion by children can cause the following side effects:

• Anxiety
• Paranoia
• Weakness
• Slurred speech
• Poor coordination
• Heart problems
• Breathing problems
• Altered perception