3 minute read

The use of cannabis, for recreation, wellness, or even medical use, has become much more mainstream, thanks to legalization across many states as well as a generally shrinking stigma and growing culture around the practice. As such, a lot of people look into trying out new ways of consuming it, with edibles being one of the most popular options around. However, there are plenty of mistakes people tend to make when trying edibles for the first time that can ruin their experience with it. Here, we’re going to look at some you might want to avoid.

Don’t Forget To Decarb

If you want to bake a nice batch of cookies, then you can do whatever you want, but if you’re looking to activate the cannabinoids, such as the CBD and THC, which have the actual chemical effects on the brain, then you need to learn about the decarboxylation process, which effectively means cooking the flower so that the cannabinoids active and can infuse the edibles. You can also use decarbed cannabis which is specifically ready to bake into edibles, but if you’re wondering why you’re not feeling any effect, this might be one of the reasons.

Not Calculating Your Potency Right

You might have idea of what dose works for you, or at least where to start from. However, cooking measurements tend to be different from what you use when you’re directly handling cannabis, so you need to make sure that you’re able to convert a quarter pound to ounces to be able to fit it into the recipe, as well as how much THC you might be getting per measure. Otherwise, it’s easy to end up baking something that’s unexpectedly weak or strong.

Thinking More Cannabis Means Better Edibles

One of the most common mistakes with edibles, across the board, is that more potency tends to make for a better edible. First of all, newcomers often make the mistake of eating too much, underestimating the potency due to the slow acting nature of edibles, in general. However, using too much also puts you at risk of harsher flavors in your edible and wasted flower without much added effect, as you can only absorb so much per serving to begin with. In most cases, you don’t actually want your edibles to taste too much like cannabis, whcih can leave it tasting grassy or burnt.

Not Storing

How you portion and store your edibles can affect their effectiveness just as much as the baking process. For starters, make sure that they’re thoroughly mixed, with infused butter being evenly distributed, so that cutting them into equal portions gets you closer to even dosage, as well. If they’re not all being eaten in the near future, store theme in airtight containers in the fridge or even the freezer (with clear labeling of what, exactly, is in them) as exposure to heat, light, or air over time can degrade their potency. 

Everyone deserves a pleasant and enriching first time making their own edibles. As such, be sure to keep the points above in mind.