Smoking Cannabis vs Ingesting?

3 min

Yes. The sheer number and variety of products available and the many individual differences between people consuming those products, however, make this a more complicated question. The bottom line is that cannabis acts on the body differently depending on how it’s consumed. There are, however, many variables to consider.

The main difference between edibles and smoking is that edibles take longer to produce an effect, those effects are stronger, and they last longer; smoking produces effects more quickly, but they dissipate sooner. Edibles can also be subject to several other variables, including whether and what you’ve eaten recently.

Before cannabis can have an effect, it needs to enter the bloodstream. The efficiency of a nutrient’s absorption into the bloodstream is known as its bioavailability; the bioavailability of ingested cannabis has been estimated to be as low at 6 percent, versus up to 35 percent for inhaled. Smokers had high variability in blood levels of THC based on how many puffs they took, how deeply they inhaled, and what kind of device they were using, among other factors.

One study found significant variation in the amount of CBD absorbed based on the fat content of a recent meal. Why? Cannabinoids like THC and CBD are fat-soluble compounds, meaning they are easily absorbed by the body when they are ingested along with fats, oils, or fatty foods. That suggests edibles will be more effective in someone who has recently eaten a high-fat meal than in someone whose stomach is empty or has eaten fewer fatty foods. Because of this, in part, edibles are often sold in the form of fat-containing consumables, such as brownies.

In another study that compared absorption of THC and CBD after ingestion versus smoking, smoking cannabis attained peak blood concentration after just three to ten minutes, but edibles took about two hours to reach that level. That makes edibles a better choice for those seeking longer-lasting effects, but it also increases the risk of exceeding optimal dosage. A common misstep is to mistake the delay in the onset of effects as underdosing and to consume more product than needed.

Also, keep in mind that CBD and THC edibles are very different, and will produce different effects: CBD gummies and other CBD products are made with cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. THC edibles contain tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient responsible for the cannabis high. THC products produce a state of euphoria, while CBD-based products are more likely to induce relaxation and reduce anxiety. Some of the studies that have compared smoking to edibles have looked at only one type or the other, so I’m cautious about applying those conclusions to all edibles.

Finally, note that a five-year review of emergency visits to a large urban hospital in Colorado found that cannabis-related visits from those who smoked were more likely to be for abdominal pain and excessive vomiting. Edibles were associated with more psychiatric episodes and cardiovascular symptoms. As testament to dosing being more problematic with edibles, and because their effects are stronger and last longer, in the last three years of that study, edibles accounted for only 0.32 percent of cannabis sales in Colorado but were associated with 10.7 percent of cannabis-related emergency room visits.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Sources
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