How to Make Cannabis Edibles

With the ever-growing popularity of marijuana, more and more people are turning to this miracle weed for its useful medical benefits and recreational experience. Several more countries are slowly easing up on their stance against cannabis and now, we get to enjoy marijuana like never before. Many would want to smoke marijuana but others are not fond of inhaling smoke. There are other ways to enjoy it such as edibles but the question lingers, how to make cannabis edibles?

Many are slowly getting the habit of consuming edibles instead of smoking marijuana. In 2014, there were 2.85 million units of cannabis edible products that were sold in Colorado alone. Consuming cannabis edibles is a largely different experience than smoking cannabis.

Effects of Consuming Cannabis Edibles

Ingesting cannabis is vastly different from other forms of marijuana consumption. Smoking marijuana delivers THC directly into your system through the lungs. Eating cannabis edibles are more likely to take a longer time to take effect. This is because the edibles have to go through the process of digestion, the breakdown of the food particles, and the absorption of the compounds.

Most of the time, these edibles are likely to start taking effect after 30 minutes to an hour after ingestion. Ingesting weed also has a different potency than smoking weed. The effects of this method of delivery are much more intense and long-lasting. It can go on for at least four to six hours when compared to smoking which only lasts for up to three hours.

Because of this prolonged process, it is very important to properly consume the right amount of dose and pace yourself. Attempting to eat as many as you can only result in agitation and overdosing. Try to start with a small portion first and see how it goes until you reach the right mix.

How To Make Edibles

There are a lot of different cannabis edible products that you can choose from. However, these are the best types of cannabis edibles that will bring you all the flavor and potency of cannabis.

Cannabutter

Cannabutter is simply butter infused with cannabis. To make your cannabutter, gather 1 pound of butter, a cup of water, and around 2 ounces of your favorite strain of cannabis. Mix the butter and water in a pot over low heat. Ground the cannabis while waiting for the water and butter mixture to simmer. Add the cannabis to the mixture and let it simmer for at least 3 hours. Stir the mixture regularly so it won’t boil over.

Once the butter mixture is thoroughly mixed well with the cannabis. Turn off the heat and strain the mixture using a cheesecloth. Let the strained mixture cool down for a while. Use and store your newly created cannabutter. You can also keep the cannabis and store it directly together with the mixture.

Cannabis Oil

Another form of cannabis edible is the use of cannabis oil. Making your cannabis oil is as simple as making cannabutter. You will need to gather coconut oil, about a teaspoon of sunflower lecithin, and a cup of cannabis.

Before you start mixing your cannabis and oil, you will need to understand that cannabis needs to be activated first by a process call decarboxylation. You can do this by baking your marijuana into the oven. Preheat the oven at around 225 degrees and bake the cannabis for around 45 minutes. 

Once that is ready, add the oil and lecithin together with the decarboxylated cannabis in a slow cooker and simmer for the next 8 hours. Stir the mixture regularly or every 30 minutes. Let the oil cool down and strain the mixture using a cheesecloth. Squeeze the juices out manually and pour the oil in a glass jar. Feel free to use cannabis oil immediately or store it in a cool dry place like the refrigerator.

How Much Weed Do You Need

Choosing the right strain is essential to making cannabis edibles. There are hundreds or even thousands of marijuana strains and each has its effects. If you plan to use these edibles to stimulate your senses in the morning, pick a strain that energizes you. If you want to get some sleep at night, choose the strains that allow you to do so before you infuse them into your edibles.

The question now is how much weed do you need to make cannabis edible that is safe. While the potency depends on the type of strain you choose, it is always safe to go for a percentage on the lower spectrum as edibles are notorious for producing overdose. An estimate of around 10 percent THC per thousand grams would be enough.

Avoid Making These Mistakes

While making cannabis edibles is a creative way to consume marijuana, there are still things that you must avoid that could compromise the quality and potency of the weed you are using.

1. Avoid cooking with raw marijuana. Remember that cannabis needs to be activated first before they are absorbed by the body. Follow the decarboxylation process first before infusing them into another ingredient.
2. Stop grinding your weed to the point that it becomes grainy. Grinding your weed to an extreme extent would take away the flavor of the strain. It may even turn your butter into green as well. Use a coarse grinder instead.
3. Don’t forget to add water to your butter. Adding water into your mixture does not dilute the potency of the cannabis. It also won’t burn the cannabinoids or the compounds. The water simply boils off and the oil or butter will mix thoroughly with the cannabis giving you a concentrated amount of THC into your edible.
4. Not testing your product. The best way to tell if your edible is potent enough is to test your product before you use them for cooking. Take a small sample first and wait for the effects to come to see how you would react. Try to experiment with the potency until you reach the right amount.

Conclusion

Using cannabis edibles is a more discreet way of consuming weed. While there are major differences in the methods of making and consuming this type of weed, it is much easier and convenient when you infuse them on your food. Learning how to make edibles is an easy and fun alternative way of consuming cannabis.