Can You Eat Weed? Understanding the Effects and Risks of Consumption
When you enjoy consuming cannabis as much as the next guy, a bit of curiosity hits you from time to time. You want to know the different ways you can go about consuming this product, whether it’s as edibles, smoked marijuana, or eating raw marijuana, just so you can enhance your experience each time.
While that is perfectly fine, you should know that you will need to have the right set of information at hand before you go about experimenting with a product as innocuous as cannabis. And that is what this blog post seeks to give you.One of the ways people have talked about consuming cannabis, is the idea of just straight-up consuming raw cannabis or eating edibles, and now, we’re going to discuss the question, “Can you eat weed in these forms?”
Before we dive into that though, we need to know what these products are in the first place, so let’s do just that.
What is Raw Weed?
As the term implies, raw cannabis is simply unheated or non-activated cannabis. It is weed in its raw form, that hasn’t been heated over time or as the weed scientists would say, weed that has not undergone decarboxylation yet.
What are Edibles?
On the other hand, edibles are consumable food and drink items that contain cannabinoid acids – a group of over 100 chemicals found in the cannabis plant.
Your cookies, brownies, other baked goods, foods, and edible marijuana products become edibles once they contain cannabinoids that may have been made from a whole cannabis plant, including the leaves and flowers, or extracted from the resin of the plant.
Difference between Raw Weed and Edibles
The main difference between consuming raw cannabis and edibles is that for edibles to be made, the cannabis must have been decarboxylated i.e. heated to activate its psychoactive properties or better still, activate its chemicals that can grab hold of our minds and brains and alter them.
The Importance of Decarboxylation To Edibles
Decarboxylation is the biggest step to preparing edibles that you cannot miss because the heating process is how the non-psychoactive cannabidiolic acid known as tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and gotten from the cannabis plant, becomes the highly intoxicating tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that gets you high.
Decarboxylation is important because tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) cannot get you high until it is turned into THC.
Effects of Eating Weed
| Effect | Description | Onset Time | Duration | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delayed Onset | Takes time to kick in as THC is processed by the liver | 30 min – 2 hrs | N/A | Moderate to High |
| Longer-Lasting High | Effects last significantly longer than smoking | N/A | 4 – 12 hrs | Strong |
| Stronger Psychoactive Effects | THC converts to 11-hydroxy-THC, making the high more intense | 1 – 3 hrs | 6 – 12 hrs | Very Strong |
| Euphoria | Feeling of happiness, relaxation, and pleasure | 30 min – 2 hrs | 4 – 10 hrs | Moderate to High |
| Altered Perception | Enhanced colors, sounds, and time distortion | 1 – 3 hrs | 6 – 12 hrs | High |
| Body High | Deep relaxation, heaviness in limbs | 1 – 2 hrs | 4 – 10 hrs | High |
| Cognitive Impairment | Slower thinking, difficulty concentrating | 1 – 3 hrs | 6 – 12 hrs | Moderate to High |
| Increased Heart Rate | Can cause a rapid heartbeat (temporary) | 30 min – 2 hrs | 1 – 3 hrs | Moderate |
| Dry Mouth & Eyes | Common side effect; dehydration-like feeling | 30 min – 1 hr | 2 – 4 hrs | Moderate |
| Paranoia & Anxiety | Can occur with high doses or in sensitive users | 1 – 3 hrs | 4 – 8 hrs | Moderate to High |
| Drowsiness | Higher doses can cause deep relaxation or sedation | 2 – 4 hrs | 6 – 12 hrs | Moderate |
| Nausea (Rare) | Usually from overconsumption or individual sensitivity | 1 – 2 hrs | 2 – 6 hrs | Low to Moderate |
The effects you experience when eating weed will depend on whether you’re eating raw cannabis or cannabis edibles ingested.
The truth is, you can eat raw cannabis but it won’t have the same effect as consuming edibles because for you to get high, the weed will have to go through decarboxylation to become activated, which you don’t get with raw weed.
So, if you’re eating raw weed, don’t expect to get high because you’re merely consuming inactive compounds. However, there have still been propositions that eating raw weed brings about unique health benefits due to the wide array of plant compounds it contains, particularly micronutrients like Iron, Calcium, Vitamin K and Vitamin C. Research in this area of marijuana use is still lacking though so the actual health benefits that come with it are unclear.
Effects of Eating Edibles
If you’re eating edibles though, with weed in its active form, that has been exposed to heat through smoking or baking, you can expect a longer-lasting and more intense high between 30 minutes to 2 hours of consumption, depending on your metabolism.
This is based on the fact that edibles can produce a more potent high, compared to the high you’d get when smoking your weed, due to the conversion of THC to 11-hydroxy-THC in the liver.
Benefits and Therapeutic Benefits of Edibles
Many potential benefits come with using edibles; edibles aren’t just about getting a bigger level of high like many people think. Some of these benefits and therapeutic effects of cannabinoids we’ll be looking at include:
Relief from Anxiety and Sleep Disorders
Edibles are often used by people with anxiety or sleep problems to help them deal with their issues because as you now know, the cannabidiolic acid found in weed or cannabis becomes intoxicating and mind-changing once it’s decarboxylated.
So, people do use it to medically alter their anxiety levels and sleep patterns at times, and there are studies to back this too like a 2019 study where 92% of 2,032 respondents reported that using acidic cannabinoids improved their anxiety symptoms.
Relief from Chronic Pain
Why mess with painkiller medications for certain kinds of pain when cannabis helps much better?
Yes, people also use cannabis as a pain reliever due to its anti-inflammatory properties in the body in certain circumstances. Although generally, there is not a sufficient amount of research to suggest that cannabis beats painkillers in all things, cannabis has been regarded as generally great for treating certain types of chronic pain, including pain due to nerve damage and inflammation.
Dealing with Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease that affects the nervous system, leading to symptoms like muscle spasms, tremors, nerve pain, and changes to bladder control or function.
Now, given the fact that MS is a disease that attacks your brain, spinal cord, and nerves, an influential national group of scientific institutions concluded in 2017, that a brain-altering substance like cannabis, with its dozens of chemicals and psychoactive effects, should do the trick in dealing with the symptoms of MS, and they were right.
Now, research suggests that people dealing with MS can use cannabis to ease the stiffness and muscle spasms that are most common way along with MS, at least as measured by self-reported symptoms.
Dealing with Cancer effects
With this one, you should be informed that there are still knowledgeable gaps in the research supporting the use of cannabis while treating different effects of cancer. Generally speaking though, people use cannabis and edibles to handle their symptoms of cancer or side effects of cancer treatment which include pain, insomnia, nausea, and lack of appetite.
However, before using cannabis in the context of cancer effects or side effects of cancer treatment, you’ll need to have a discussion with your doctor about it first.
Risks and Adverse Effects of Edibles
| Risk / Adverse Effect | Description | How to Cope |
|---|---|---|
| Delayed Onset Leading to Overconsumption | People may take too much because effects take longer to kick in (30 min – 2 hrs) | Start Low, Go Slow – Wait at least 2 hours before taking more |
| Intense & Prolonged High | Edibles convert THC to 11-hydroxy-THC, making the high stronger and longer-lasting (6–12 hours) | Stay calm, hydrate, and find a comfortable, safe space |
| Anxiety & Paranoia | High doses can cause racing thoughts and panic attacks | Deep breathing, distractions, CBD, and reassurance help reduce anxiety |
| Cognitive Impairment | Difficulty concentrating, slow thinking, or confusion | Rest, avoid important tasks, and wait for the effects to wear off |
| Increased Heart Rate (Tachycardia) | Some users may experience a rapid heartbeat, especially at high doses | Stay calm, hydrate, and practice slow breathing |
| Nausea & Vomiting (Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome – CHS in rare cases) | Some individuals react poorly, leading to nausea or vomiting | Stay hydrated, avoid greasy food, and rest |
| Dry Mouth & Red Eyes | Common side effect due to THC affecting saliva production and eye vessels | Drink water, chew gum, and use eye drops |
| Drowsiness & Sedation | Higher doses may cause extreme sleepiness | Take a nap if needed, avoid operating machinery |
| Disrupted Sleep Cycle | High doses close to bedtime may affect REM sleep | Maintain a balanced dosage; use edibles earlier if they disrupt sleep |
| Difficulty in Dosing | Edibles can be unpredictable in strength and effects | Use regulated products with clear THC content, and cut doses into small portions |
| Legal & Workplace Issues | Edibles stay in the system longer and can be detected in drug tests | Be aware of local laws and workplace policies before consuming |
Generally speaking, as much as we might know about the dos and don’ts of cannabis consumption, the truth is with edibles, it’s a different game altogether. Edibles are cannabis in its more potent form and as such, they can be unpredictable, and the effects can vary depending on the individual’s metabolism and tolerance.
So, let’s take a look at some of the risks attached to consuming edibles and what you should look out for while you’re at it:
The Long-lasting Effects
As you know, the high you get with an edible lasts much longer than when you smoke your cannabis; however, you can’t predict where the high starts or where it ends.
You could get high 30 minutes, an hour, an hour and thirty minutes after ingestion, or two hours after consumption, and the effect could last up to several hours – it all depends on the amount of THC consumed, the type of food or drink taken, and whether other drugs or alcohol were used at the same time.
As such, when you consume marijuana edibles, be very careful to know how potent what you’ve taken is, because the amount of THC is difficult to measure and is often unknown in many edibles.
Possibility of Overdose
The peculiarity with edibles as you now know, is that the high takes time to come on, usually between 30 minutes to two hours after consumption. The problem with this is sometimes, the fact that the high hasn’t come around pushes people to a greater amount of marijuana use than they should before the drug takes effect.
Doing this has led to a lot more emergency room visits than you can count, and it is simply due to the failure of consumers to fully understand the delayed effects of these products and how much their effect depends on your body composition.
Other Factors
Besides the possibility of an overdose, other serious negative side effects that come with smoking or consuming too many highly potent edibles include drowsiness, confusion, vomiting, anxiety and panic attacks, agitation, hallucinations, paranoia, impaired motor ability and immune system, respiratory depression, and heart problems, among others.
Oblivion
Looking at these various risks we have discussed, we come to the last and all-too-important risk which is not knowing or being aware of things happening around you or your actions.
One of the consequences of consuming too much THC in edibles is a lack of awareness on the part of the drug consumer about things going on around them or things they’re doing. It’s usually in these situations that consumers become violent, exhibiting self-harming behaviors or hurting others in ways they likely would have never done if they were sober.
It’s in situations like these that people get raped, injured, murdered, or cause their death by their own hands.
Legitimate Sources for Consumable Cannabis
When purchasing the raw cannabis or edible products you want to consume, it’s important to get them from a legitimate source to ensure your safety and health.
Legitimate sources for consumable cannabis include pharmacies, state-regulated and licensed dispensaries, or trusted brands whose identities you can properly verify.
Avoid shopping with unverified online marketplaces and websites that don’t have detailed testing information available about their cannabis products.
Conclusion
In conclusion, consuming cannabis can be done any way you like, eating it raw, smoking it, or turning it into an edible. Whichever way you choose to do it though, make sure your marijuana use process is safe for not just you but everyone else around especially if it’s as an edible.
From a medical point of view too, you can consume marijuana edibles or smoked weed appropriately if you’re looking for the therapeutic benefits of the cannabis plant; all you need to do is discuss with your doctor so you know you’re choosing the right method for your needs.
FAQs
1. Can you eat raw weed?
No, eating raw weed won’t get you high. THC in cannabis must be activated through a process called decarboxylation, typically done by heating.
2. What happens if you eat weed?
If it’s not decarboxylated, you may experience minimal effects. However, consuming properly prepared edibles can produce a strong, long-lasting high.
3. Are edibles stronger than smoking weed?
Yes, edibles are often stronger because the THC is metabolized into 11-hydroxy-THC in the liver, which is more potent and has a longer-lasting effect.
4. How long does it take for edibles to kick in?
Edibles typically take 30 minutes to 2 hours to take effect, depending on factors like metabolism, dosage, and the type of food.
5. How long do edible effects last?
The effects of edibles can last anywhere from 6 to 12 hours, with peak effects occurring around 2 to 4 hours after consumption.
6. How much weed should I use for edibles?
A beginner should aim for 5–10 mg of THC per serving. For homemade edibles, calculate the potency of your cannabis carefully before cooking.
7. Are there any risks to eating weed?
Overconsumption can lead to anxiety, paranoia, and nausea. Always start with a low dose and wait at least 2 hours before consuming more.
8. Can eating weed be healthier than smoking it?
Yes, consuming edibles avoids the respiratory risks associated with smoking, such as lung irritation and inhalation of toxins.
9. How should I store cannabis edibles?
Store edibles in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate or freeze them for longer shelf life and keep them out of reach of children and pets.
10. Can I overdose on weed edibles?
While you can’t fatally overdose on cannabis, consuming too much can lead to uncomfortable effects like intense anxiety, paranoia, or a “weed hangover.”
