by Cannabis-infused chocolate fountains flow at weddings. “Budtenders” serve cannabis cocktails. And how grocery sales are on the rise, cannabis brands are emphasizing the idea that the products could offer a healthier alternative to bongs or blunts.
“Edibles allow you to enjoy cannabis without the negative side effects of smoking,” reads the website of Kiva, which makes cannabis-infused chocolate bars and fruit-flavored gummies.
Consumers are increasingly wondering if that’s the case, but the answer is complicated. There is little research comparing the health effects of foods and smoking head-to-head. What we know so far largely comes from limited data, anecdotes, and inferences from researchers and doctors.
“There’s a lot of nuance there,” said Ryan Vandrey, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine who studies cannabis. “You can’t say in black and white that edibles are safer than smoking, or that smoking is worse than vaping; there are different risks for different routes.”
Edibles are harder to dose
When someone smokes a joint, the effect comes on almost immediately and then wears off within a few hours. But the cannabinoids contained in edibles take time to travel through the gastrointestinal tract. It can take between 30 minutes and several hours for users to feel the effects, said Daniel Barrus, a pharmacologist at the nonprofit research organization RTI International. That timing can vary even for experienced cannabis users, because stomach contents affect how quickly an edible activates, said Dr. Collin Reiff, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California’s Grossman School of Medicine. NY.
As a result, users may end up nibbling on an extra bite of a marijuana brownie or eating another gummy to get a bigger high, and end up too high when the drug finally takes effect, sometimes causing paranoia, delusions and panic attacks. These effects usually go away within a few hours, but people may have a fast, racing heart rate, leading some to seek medical attention.
“I see much more adverse results in people who use edibles,” Dr. Reiff said.
A study of marijuana-related emergency department visits at a large Colorado hospital found that people who used edibles were more likely to end up in the emergency room. (Total admissions were higher for smokers, most likely because many more people smoked than consumed edibles, according to state cannabis sales data.) People who consumed edibles were also more likely to experience acute cardiovascular or psychiatric symptoms than those who smoked.
Many more people safely consume edibles every day than end up in the hospital, said Dr. Andrew Monte, professor of emergency medicine and medical toxicology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and senior author of the study.
Edibles May Cause More Intense Effects
Edibles can sometimes induce a more intense and intoxicating high than smoking, due to the way the body metabolizes THC, the main compound in cannabis, said James MacKillop, director of the Michael G. DeGroote Center for Medical Cannabis Research. from McMaster University.
Even for experienced users, edibles can have a powerful effect. For some people, that high can be pleasurable; For others, fear and anxiety can take over.
Edibles may have less addictive potential, Dr. MacKillop said, because in general, the faster a person feels the effects of a drug, the greater the chance that the user will become dependent. A study last year found that about a fifth of people who use cannabis develop a cannabis use disorder.
The respiratory risk of smoking
Smoking any substance has the potential to damage the lungs.
Cannabis smoke contains many of the same toxic and carcinogenic chemicals as cigarette smoke, and the drug, when smoked, can damage lung tissues and blood vessels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The method also matters: When people smoke a joint or joint, they also inhale particles from the rolling papers or wrappers, as well as particles from the cannabis itself, both of which can damage the lungs.
Vaporizers heat cannabis using a different method than joints, bongs and pipes, so they can help consumers avoid harmful compounds like carbon monoxide and tar, Dr. Barrus said. But vaporizers still expose the lungs to irritants and some evidence has discovered that vaporizers generate dangerous emissions. Cases of vaping-related illnesses and injuries caused by contaminants in vaporizers They have worried doctors for years.
People who smoke cannabis appear to have a higher risk of suffering from bronchitis, and it’s clear that smoke can significantly irritate the lungs, Dr. Barrus said. But studies have not definitively shown that smoking cannabis can cause lung cancer, as smoking tobacco does.
