Chocolate fountains with cannabis infusions are a popular wedding beverage. “Budtenders” are serving cannabis-infused drinks. Additionally, cannabis brands are highlighting the possibility that edibles could be a healthier option than bongs or blunts as sales of the products are on the rise.
Kiva, a company that manufactures cannabis chocolate bars and fruit-flavored gummies, states on its website that edibles “allow you to enjoy cannabis without the negative side effects of smoking.”
Customers are inquiring more and more about whether that is the case, but the response is nuanced. Comparing the health effects of smoking and edibles side by side has not been thoroughly studied. The majority of what we currently know is based on conjecture from researchers and clinicians, anecdotes, and scant data.
Cannabis researcher Ryan Vandrey, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine, said, “There’s tons of nuance there.” “You can’t say in black and white that vaping is worse than smoking or that edibles are safer than smoking because there are different risks associated with each method.”
Edibles Are Harder to Dose
A joint smoker experiences an almost instantaneous high that wears off in a few hours. However, edibles’ cannabinoids pass through the digestive system gradually. Users may not experience the effects for up to several hours, according to Daniel Barrus, a pharmacologist at RTI International, a nonprofit research organization. According to Dr. Collin Reiff, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the N.Y.U. Grossman School of Medicine, the contents of your stomach have an impact on how quickly an edible takes effect, so even seasoned cannabis users may experience variations in this timing.
To get more of an effect, users may thus eat another gummy or nibble on an extra bite of a pot brownie, which could lead to overindulgence when the drug eventually takes effect and occasionally result in panic attacks, delusions, and paranoia. Although these effects usually go away in a few hours, some people experience fast, racing heart rates, which prompts them to seek medical attention.
Dr. Reiff stated, “I see far more negative outcomes in people who use edibles.”
According to a study conducted on marijuana-related ER visits at a major Colorado hospital, patients who consumed edibles had a higher likelihood of visiting the ER. (State cannabis sales data indicates that a higher percentage of smokers were admitted overall, most likely due to the fact that more people smoked than used edibles.) Compared to smokers, edible users had an increased risk of acute psychiatric symptoms and cardiovascular problems.
Dr. Andrew Monte, lead author of the study and professor of emergency medicine and medical toxicology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, pointed out that far more people safely use edibles every day than wind up in the hospital.
Edibles Can Lead to More Intense Highs
Because of the way the body metabolizes THC, the primary ingredient in cannabis, edibles can occasionally produce a more potent and intoxicating high than smoking, according to James MacKillop, director of McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research.
Edibles can be very effective, even for seasoned users. That high can be enjoyable for some people, but it can also cause fear and anxiety in others.
According to Dr. MacKillop, edibles might not have as much of an addictive potential as other substances because the likelihood of dependence increases with the speed at which a person experiences a drug’s effects. According to a study conducted last year, approximately one-fifth of cannabis users go on to develop a cannabis use disorder.
The Respiratory Risk of Smoking
Any substance that you smoke has the potential to damage your lungs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking cannabis can harm blood vessels and lung tissues because it contains many of the same harmful chemicals and carcinogens as cigarettes. The method is important because when people smoke a blunt or joint, they are also inhaling particulates from the cannabis itself as well as from rolling papers or wrappers, which can be harmful to their lungs.
Vapes can assist users in avoiding dangerous substances like carbon monoxide and tar since they heat cannabis differently than joints, bongs, and pipes, according to Mr. Barrus. However, vapes still expose the lungs to irritants, and there is evidence that some of the emissions they produce are harmful. Doctors have been concerned about vaping-related illnesses and injuries caused by vaporizer contaminants for a long time.
According to Mr. Barrus, there appears to be a link between cannabis users and a higher risk of bronchitis, and smoke can clearly irritate the lungs. However, unlike smoking tobacco, research has not conclusively shown that smoking cannabis can cause lung cancer.
The Shared Risks
Cannabis has both long-term and short-term risks, regardless of how it is consumed.
Cannabis use can raise blood pressure and heart rate. Regular use is associated with an increased risk of heart failure. The drug impairs cognition as well. It slows down your reaction time, which is one of the reasons driving while high is so risky. Additionally, users may experience memory and concentration problems long after the high has worn off.
Like with drugs in general, Dr. Vandrey stated that “dose and frequency really drive health risks.” “With cannabis, as well as pretty much anything else.”
