There are several different ways of consuming cannabis—the one that’s right for you is up to preference. Different consumers will report different experiences based not only on their method of consumption but on the other traits of the cannabis they’re consuming. THC levels, terpenes, and other factors may still have a significant impact on your experience.
In this article, we’re going to discuss common differences in experience when consuming cannabis using different methods. Specifically, we’re going to mention timeframes. Understand that these timeframes are an aggregate of what users commonly experience. Keep in mind that no two people will have the same experience with cannabis—there are too many factors to consider.
All this to say, what we present here are generalities—if it’s your first time trying a new method of consuming cannabis, start with a low dosage, and make sure you try it on a day when you don’t have plans to drive.
Smoking
Smoking is the most common and widely known method of cannabis consumption. Cannabis can be smoked using a variety of different methods. The three most popular are:
While we can’t cover all the different ways to smoke in this article, we know that many users report different effects based on how they smoke their cannabis. Bongs, for example, are often reported to offer a more intense high than joints.
When smoked, the effects of cannabis tend to be noticeable fairly quickly—most users report feeling a high within minutes or even seconds. When smoked, the effects of cannabis usually peak after about 30 minutes—the high may last anywhere from 1 to 4 hours (or even longer).
Edibles
Edibles come in many different forms. In general, they can broadly be grouped into two categories:
- Beverages
- Food
Despite falling under the category of “edibles”, users report very different experiences with cannabis-infused drinks and food.
The THC in a cannabis beverage is absorbed more quickly—the process begins as soon as the beverage hits your mouth. Many users report feeling the effects of beverages in as little as 15 minutes.
Traditional food edibles, on the other hand, usually take anywhere from half an hour to two hours to kick in.
The length of the high differs between the two, as well. Consumers often report that a beverage high lasts from 2 to 4 hours, though some report the high lasts for up to 12 hours.
When it comes to traditional edibles, the high is often reported to last much longer. It’s not uncommon for users to find an edible high lasting 12 hours or more—rarely, users report edible highs lasting up to 24 hours.
Tinctures
Tinctures are picking up in popularity—they’re THC (and often CBD) suspended in a liquid. The most common way of using tinctures is to take a dropper, then place the liquid under your tongue until it’s absorbed.
The main advantage of tinctures is that it’s incredibly easy to measure your consumption—when a tincture has, say, 10 mg of THC per ml, then you’ll know you’re ingesting 10 mg of THC if you put 1 ml under your tongue.
Tinctures act fairly quickly—users generally report feeling effects within 15-30 minutes with effects lasting for 2-4 hours.
And More!
We’ve just covered three of the most common ways of consuming cannabis. There are several others, though! We could talk about the different forms of cannabis—smoking dabs from a dab rig is “smoking” but the process is so different that we might have to write a whole article on it.
There are topical ointments. There are sprays. There are capsules. Different users may have a different experience with all of these, depending on tolerance, THC levels, terpenes, and more.
Want to buy weed in Winnipeg? Looking for something new to try? Visit our website, or come see us in-store. We’ve got all kinds of different cannabis in our store, and we have devices to help you consume cannabis in various ways.
