How Weed Drinks Compare to Traditional Edibles

Cannabis, Edibles

Anyone interested in the varied effects of cannabis has likely already considered how weed edibles might fit into their sampling. Weed edibles are an incredibly popular route for many enthusiasts, and some prefer them to other forms of consumption.

However, new methods are cropping up to process weed into more and more products, which has led to the development of cannabis drinks as well. Commercially available weed drinks and edibles are both staples of many people’s cannabis routines, but which one is better?

There is no right answer; everyone’s tolerance, preference, and desired effects differ. Thus, it’s important to understand how weed drinks compare to traditional edibles so you can understand which product suits your needs and how to use them safely.

Start of Effects

In general, both weed drinks and eddies are slower-acting than a joint. However, a cannabis drink tends to kick in sooner than edibles. Because drinks are made by emulsifying weed (that is, breaking it down into very tiny droplets that mix with the drink droplets), the cannabis is easily accessed by the body right away.

As soon as a person drinks the beverage, the weed is already bioavailable to enter the bloodstream. This means you won’t usually need to wait more than around 15 or 20 minutes to start feeling the effects.

Conversely, edibles take longer to kick in. The weed is mixed directly with a food item, such as a brownie, that the body must digest to gain access to the cannabis particles inside. This slower process can take a few hours, which is not the timeline some people are looking for. Others prefer it!

Duration

Once the weed is in your system, cannabis drinks wear off faster. Because the compounds in the cannabis are immediately available and uptake is so quick, they are purged just as fast (usually just a couple of hours).

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially for those who just want a quick detour from their day before returning to the grind. Those seeking a longer high, however, would do better with edibles, whose slow-acting digesting can prolong the experience for four hours or longer.

Dosage

It can be a challenge to dose both weed drinks and edibles for the same reason: distribution. In order to partake of an accurate dose, the weed itself needs to be evenly distributed throughout the product. At-home recipes suffer from this challenge more than store-bought items.

Still, all things being equal, if a person purchases both a weed drink and an edible from a reputable company, they can trust that both dosages will be accurate. However, the drink will be easier to curate. Drinks can be measured much more carefully than edibles, allowing for exactly the right amount of consumption.

Experience

How the weed affects the consumer varies based on how it is processed into the food or drink. The same emulsification that made drinks hit faster than eddies also promotes a stable, gentle diffusion that some users describe as “soft.” It can feel like drinking a beer and getting a little buzz.

Edibles, by contrast, can also come on gently, but they can be a little more unpredictable. There’s not as much control over how the body digests and whether it’s breaking down all of the chewed pieces evenly, so the experience can be more intense.

Flavors

Weed drinks haven’t quite caught up to the variety of edibles. Mostly appearing as seltzers, drinks are limited to flavors that complement that seltzer taste. Edibles, on the other hand, can be put into almost anything: desserts, dinners, candies, and more. This also allows for a wider range of flavors!

Ease of Making at Home

Both weed drinks and traditional edibles can be made at home, but getting the dosage right is a challenge for both. Most people will not be able to emulsify a drink the same way a company can, so instead, infusion is the more common path, and it produces different results.

Similarly, creating edibles can be a fun hobby, but evenly distributing the weed throughout the eddie is difficult and can lead to unpredictable results. This can be fun for some but not ideal for others.

Try Weed Drinks, Edibles, or Both to Find Your Perfect Match

There are many ways to enjoy cannabis thanks to creative minds that have innovated the hobby over the years. Whether you think that edibles are your go-to choice or you’d like to try a drink for the first time, be sure you get your products from a reputable dispensary. The team at Pure Oasis can help you choose a drink or eddie that fits your goals and tolerance. Stop by Pure Oasis to check out what we have in stock!