The absorption rate of edibles should be understood before using edibles, tinctures and other edible concentrated forms. Understanding how edibles work is important to finding your accurate dose.  There are three forms of oral delivery of cannabis medicine; Injestion by digesting (Edibles), Sublingual (tinctures or candies under the tongue), and Oromucosal, which is a new form of taking medicine that is implemented by placing a medicated tab on the gum or inside of cheek to dissolve slowly. We’re not covering Oromucosal in this post because cannabis medicine isn’t available in that form in New Mexico at this time. We’ll cover the other two.

Absorption of  Oral Delivery/Edibles – (injestion by digestion)

With a 35% absorption rate, you certainly get a big bang for your buck with edibles, but they have their drawbacks for some patients. Even though edibles are probably the best way for anyone to get a full night of restful sleep, it’s very easy to go over board on dosing, and the calories can be as bad as a Big Mac.

Smoking a strong bowl of flower or a powerful joint can certainly put you to sleep quickly, but it won’t keep you sleeping for all the hours you need. Edibles take the longest to be absorbed into your system, but last 8 to 12 hours. This is because the THC travels through your digestive tract to your liver where it’s metabolized and converted to a different form of THC, called 11-Hydroxy THC. Unlike the delta 9 THC, which is what most people are used to experiencing when smoking/vaping cannabis, 11-Hydroxy THC is much more reactive, much more sedative and lasts a very long time, up to 8-10 hours. This can be great for sleep applications as well as micro dosing throughout the day, but can be pretty overwhelming for the patient who doesn’t know their dose and consumes too much.

If you are NOT experienced with cannabis edibles it’s important to start with a very low dose and work up to find your most effective dose. If you are new to cannabis all together, start with no more than 2.5mg THC. If you are used to smoking and vaping, try starting at 5 to 7mg for your first edible, and work up from there. Everyone has a different tolerance because our needs and metabolisms are different, so learning your personal dose is essential. We’ve all heard the stories, and yes, they are true. It is easy to over consume cannabis edibles, so if you think your edible isn’t working, be sure to wait a while before you take more, and only take a little bit more. It can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours to reach your effect.

Absorption of  Oral Delivery/Sublingual

Tincture drops under the tongue and oral sprays – Mucus membranes in the mouth absorb cannabinoids quickly, and release them into your bloodstream, bypassing the digestive tract and the liver. This doesn’t happen as fast as with inhalation, but is much faster than eating cannabis medicine. The absorption rate is about the same as inhalation (15%) because the cannabinoids are headed to your bloodstream/heart and distributed to your brain and other organs through your body. You can get high, but sublingual cannabis medicine is usually taken in small doses/more frequently, so they are a good way to control the high with a small, yet effective dose. The dose must be held in the mouth for as long as you can, because swallowing it immediately means it will be metabolized like an edible, through the gastrointestinal system instead of directly into the bloodstream. Fats also help with absorption, so it is best to use sublingual products that are suspended in coconut oil or something like it. Other vegetable oils high in omega fatty acids can be used, but coconut oil tastes pretty good. Everyone likes medicine that tastes good.

Important info on CBD Edibles

CBD edibles have an issue patients should be aware of. When using CBD products, or products containing a good amount of CBD, be aware that if you are taking prescription meds like blood thinners (Warfrin, etc., or any drugs that warn to not take with grapefruit), you must space out the time you consume these two medications by 4 to 6 hours, because the part of the liver that processes certain prescription drugs and CBD is the same and your liver cannot do both effectively at the same time.