Our #1 Tip for Enjoying Edibles

Ellen Scanlon (00:00):

This podcast, discusses cannabis and is intended for audiences 21 and over

Valarie Sakota (00:05):

I like to start off by taking only half whatever the dosage is on, whatever. I always just do half, sometimes even just a quarter.

Ellen Scanlon (00:18):

Welcome to How to Do The Pot, a podcast demystifying cannabis for women. I’m Ellen Scanlon. I totally agree with the tip that Valerie Sakota, the co-founder of herbal cannabis company, Barbari, just gave cut your edible in half. I hate to admit this, but I have heard some really bad stories about women taking edibles that were a lot stronger than they expected. Really bad in the sense that for call it four to eight hours, sometimes longer, they were not having a very good time. And some have sworn off edibles because of it. Which is totally fine if you don’t like them. But edibles are a very discreet way to consume. And they can be a really fun part of your cannabis toolkit, once you find the right dose for you. In today’s episode, I have some tips that you can take right to the dispensary to shop for edibles. Plus I’ll explain how to find the right number of milligrams, which is how edibles are measured, for how you want to feel.

Ellen Scanlon (01:31):

When I was first learning about edibles in the legal market, I would go to a dispensary or see an online menu with edibles with 20 milligrams of THC and think, “Hmm. Okay. That seems like a lot of THC, but the cannabis brand must know what’s right for me. Right?” A lot of us have been programmed to follow dosing instructions on a bottle of aspirin, antibiotics, or whatever pharmaceutical. It seems like common sense. But when it comes to cannabis infused edibles, please take a second and ask how many milligrams are in it before you pop one in your mouth. Everyone responds to cannabis a little bit differently. And while you might see a lot of 10 milligram edibles in dispensaries, that doesn’t mean you need to take that much to feel great. I talk to Raeven Duckett-Robinson, the founder of textjohnnie and an executive board member of Supernova Women, who has a new appreciation for edibles.

Raeven Duckett-Robinson (02:40):

Edibles are something that I try. Now. I used to be very scared of them. I used to be like, “Oh my God. I can’t take an edible because I’m going to be laying on the floor somewhere, really paranoid.” And it’s not that anymore. There’s some really good dosed edibles, some edibles that have some CBD in them, which help bring down your high. And through learning and through trying, I’ve been able to find the edibles I like.

Ellen Scanlon (03:01):

Let’s do a quick refresher on the basics. What exactly are edibles? Edibles are cannabis infused food, which includes everything from your classic brownies and gummies to infused butter, lavish gourmet meals, or one of my new favorite products, cannabis infused olive oil. Walking into a dispensary and seeing the many edible products on the shelves when you don’t know the brands or how strong the edibles are, I get it. It can feel intimidating and overwhelming. So now it’s time to learn how to do the pot with these simple edible tips.

Ellen Scanlon (03:50):

First read the label on the packaging. Every state with legal cannabis has different requirements for what is on their labels. But no matter what state you’re in edibles will be measured in milligrams. Pay attention to the number of milligrams of THC and other cannabinoids like CBD, which should be listed on the packaging. Because of strict state or country, if you’re in Canada regulations, the information on the labels is often really tiny, which can make it extra hard to understand. If it is just ask the retail staff, the bud-tenders at the dispensary for help. I recommend that you start with a low dose edible, which means two to two and a half milligrams of THC. Depending on where you live. You may not find a lot of edibles with that low of a dose. That’s why this episode’s mantra is cut your edible in half.

Ellen Scanlon (04:50):

Once you know the milligrams also pay attention to the ratio of CBD to THC. The more CBD there is in a product, the more balanced the effects will be. So look for edibles with CBD if you just want to feel a little lift or more relaxed, but aren’t looking to feel very high. I love edibles that have a lot of CBD in them. That means a high ratio of CBD to THC. They really work for me. The next question is what type of edible do you want? There is a lot to choose from. In states with more mature cannabis markets. Most of the West Coast, you can usually find a good selection of edibles with different strengths, flavors, and different types of products. This is the fun part. You can pick up a toffee crunch-flavored chocolate bar, a sparkling strawberry Rose gummy, or a Saigon cinnamon flavored mint. Just don’t forget to cut them in half.

Ellen Scanlon (05:52):

If you’ve had a bad experience with edibles in the past, and you still feel a little nervous about how many milligrams are right for you. Take a deep breath and remember the legal market is not like eating one of your friends homemade weed brownies. The cannabis you buy in licensed dispensaries has passed really rigorous testing. So you can trust that you will get what is listed on the package, no surprises. It’s one of the great benefits of having a legal market. If learning more about the cannabis testing process is something you’re interested in, please let us know. We can reach out to some experts and work on an episode about it.

Ellen Scanlon (06:43):

Now that you’ve bought your sour yuzu mochi edible, how much do you want to take? Maybe you’ve heard me say the phrase start low and slow about cannabis in general. Low in this case means not very many milligrams of THC, the intoxicating part of the plant. Low dose will be different for everyone, but a good place to start is with two or two and a half milligrams of THC. I would not recommend starting out with more than five milligrams of THC in an edible. I don’t want to start you out too strong, which really means with too much THC, because the effects can last for four to eight hours. Which can feel like a very long time if you’re not liking the experience. So say it with me, cut your edible in half or even into four pieces. You’ll have more of that yummy pineapple habanero gummy for later. And remember the more CBD in your weed, the more balanced you’ll feel. Jen Seo the director of marketing at Nabis, a cannabis distributor, has come around to edibles now that lower doses are available.

Jen Seo (07:59):

I initially was not into edibles. I just am so sensitive to them. But now people are coming up with really great micro-dosing edibles in the market where you don’t have to eat an entire cookie. You can have a little mint or you can have a sublingual, like a tincture. And you can somehow now incorporate cannabis into your life.

Ellen Scanlon (08:20):

Okay? So you’re staying low, but what is starting slow? Start slow means once you’ve eaten in edible, wait, be patient. In general, when you take in edible, it might not kick in for one to two hours. And once you feel the effects, they will last for between four to eight hours. I know that’s a big range of time and a lot will depend on how much you’ve taken, what you’ve eaten that day and your body’s endocannabinoid system. If you’re at home or it’s convenient, it might help to set a timer right when you eat your gummy. Edibles are notorious for creep, which means you lose track of time.

Ellen Scanlon (09:04):

Another thing to think about is any other food that you’re eating. When you eat cannabis with a meal or even a heavy snack, you maximize the intoxicating effects of THC. You will get more high. There isn’t a lot of research on this, but eating after you’ve taken an edible, even a few hours later can trigger the THC and you may feel its effects for longer. You have to experiment a bit with cannabis. And it’s one of the things that makes weed and especially eating weed different than alcohol. And I do feel like I’m on a bit of a personal crusade. Please don’t take another one until you’ve waited one to two hours,

Ellen Scanlon (09:50):

I’ve talked to women about the subtle pressure. They sometimes feel to try a strong edible. Or maybe they just admitted that they really didn’t even know what a small dose was. I want you to feel good while you’re learning what you like and weed is legal now. So there’s always time to try more. I promise it will not take you very long to figure out the number of milligrams that feel good for you. And then you know and whether you want to feel more high, you’re trying to combat your pain, lower stress, or you just want to get to sleep. Your weed shopping trip just got a lot more fun. But if you do get too high, do not fear. There is an antidote and it’s CBD to the rescue. California based chef, Amanda Jackson is a pro at eating cannabis and she shares one of our favorite tips.

Chef Amanda Jackson (10:45):

Have CBD laying around. And something fast-acting like a CBD joint or water or a tincture that will be fast acting. If you are a person who’s like afraid, you’re going to get too high.

Ellen Scanlon (10:56):

The easiest way to get less high is to put a CBD oil tincture under your tongue for 30 to 60 seconds. You’ll feel more like yourself in about 15 minutes. While I’ve heard a fair number of bad edible stories, I have also heard so many positive life changing stories, too. Rosie Mattio is the founder of PR firm, Mattio Communications, and a mother of four daughters. As you can imagine, she doesn’t have a lot of spare time to be caught by surprise with an edible. By taking the time to pay attention to how she wants to feel. Now she knows exactly how much to take, to get the most from her edibles.

Rosie Mattio (11:40):

So two and a half milligram, like beverage, like that seems to be great at the end of the day, just to take the edge off. So I do 10 at night for sleep. And I built up to that because I want to get a good night’s sleep at two and a half to five is really my sweet spot and it’s not a high dose. And I love it. I love it.

Ellen Scanlon (11:58):

Rosie has had such great results with edibles for sleep, that she was able to persuade her mom to give them a try as well. Maybe it helped that they were very delicious macaroons.

Rosie Mattio (12:09):

She’s a child of the sixties. So Woodstock. So she consumed back from the day, but even not that much. And it was illegal back then. But now she has hip pain. She also has trouble sleeping. And so she had not had any cannabis probably in 40 years probably. You know, and then a few weeks ago she was over complaining. I just got into the macaroons and I was like, “Take these home mom.” She’s like, “When do I take them?” So she took it a night, texted me being like, “I don’t really feel anything, but tastes delicious.”

Rosie Mattio (12:42):

And then the next morning I got a text from her saying I had the best sleep of my life, which is awesome. It’s awesome. She’s like, “I feel amazing today.” And like, so sleep has just been, not easy for her, so that’s great. And also she’s trouble getting up in the morning. She had no trouble getting up in the morning after having the macaroons. So next time she came over, she’s like, “What do you got for me?” I’m like, “Hey, I’m going to have to share with you now.” But like, it’s great. I love that she’s using it as an option.

Ellen Scanlon (13:06):

If you’re looking for more guidance about cannabis and sleep, check out our series called Sleep 101, where we break down, how cannabis helps women fall asleep, stay asleep, and not wake up with a weed hangover. I hope today’s episode about edibles helps you feel more confident and ready to try if you’ve been holding back. And if you want to share your edible success stories, we would love to hear them. We would also be very grateful. If you would share this episode with a friend, maybe who’s new to cannabis or even a seasoned consumer, we all need tips sometimes. And we love new listeners for lots more information and past episodes visit dothepot.com. And that’s also where you can sign up for our newsletter, which comes out every other Friday. And if you like How to Do The Pot, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts. It helps more people find the show. Thanks to our producers, Madi Fair, and Nick Patri. I’m Ellen Scanlon and stay tuned for more of How to Do The Pot.