Edibles vs. Smoking - How Are They Different?

Let’s be honest. The high from cannabis is one of the best things about it. Whether you’re unwinding after a long day, trying to relieve chronic pain, or just looking to feel a little better, cannabis has helped millions of people worldwide. But did you know there’s a big difference between eating cannabis edibles vs. smoking it?

FYI: “Edibles” is a blanket term for any cannabis food product that contains cannabinoids like THC or CBD. “Smokeables” will refer to the dried cannabis flower that people smoke in a variety of ways like joints, bongs, and vaporizers. Although the effects of smoking cannabis are similar, this article will focus primarily on joints.

The distinctions between edibles and smokeables affect everything from how it feels to how long it takes and lasts.

So let’s look at two of the most popular ways of enjoying cannabis and see how they stack up against each other and try to settle the smoking versus edibles debate once and for all.

How edibles vs. smoking affects your body

Edibles

There are many reasons why eating an edible affects you differently from smoking a joint- the number one reason being how your body absorbs THC.

You digest an edible in your stomach whereas you inhale cannabis smoke in your lungs.

It’s important to know that the high from edibles has a much slower onset than smoking, and that’s why we recommend that those trying edibles for the first time wait 1 hour before eating more. This waiting game is crucial as edibles take longer to absorb. So if you want to avoid getting way too high, avoid the common rookie mistake of not waiting long enough and taking more- only to have it kick in HARD.

How high you get from the edibles also depends on how much THC is in it- and it can vary widely. On our menu, you can buy edibles with as little as 5 – 10 mg of THC, all the way up to heavy-hitters at 800+ mg!

11-hydroxy-THC is another reason for the differing effects of edibles versus smoking.

What is 11-hydroxy-THC?

Edibles are generally more potent than smoking cannabis because when we eat an edible, our liver converts the THC in it into 11-hydroxy-THC (which is an even stronger form of THC).

I’m not trying to get too science-y with it, but it essentially changes THC’s composition to almost a different drug. 11-Hydroxy-THC tends to release erratically and can be different from person to person, and can take upwards of 2 – 3 hours to come into effect.

Tip: If you’re unsure how strong an edible is or don’t know your tolerance level, it’s always best to start low and go slow. Remember that you can always take more if it’s not strong enough, but once you eat it, you can’t undo it.

edibles raw cannabis

Smoking

When smoking cannabis, you’ll feel the effects of it kick in much faster than edibles- typically within a few seconds or minutes after the first inhale as THC enters the bloodstream more rapidly.

While studies have shown that smoking cannabis is not as harmful or as carcinogenic as smoking tobacco (and some studies suggest cannabis actually has cancer-fighting properties), it’s important to know that there are always health risks (like damage to the lungs and heart) to inhaling any smoke whatsoever, and that includes cannabis smoke.

That’s why even medical cannabis advocates will often discourage patients from burning cannabis in favour of edibles and vapes.

Did you know: The high from edibles, concentrates, and smoking are all different? If you’ve ever wondered about how long the weed high lasts, click here.

Smoking vs Edibles: So much choice!

Putting the “edible” in “incredible”

Cannabis edibles have come a long way from the days of the good ol’ hash brownies. If that’s the only edible you know of, then our selection of gummies and chocolates will blow you away.

Compared to joints, edibles are much easier to consume- you pop it in your mouth and eat it. That means it’s also more discreet- you don’t have to worry about the odour or smoke at all, making edibles ideal for situations where you’re trying to be low-key about your cannabis use.

Also, some edibles can taste so good that you have to be careful not to eat the whole bag when the munchies kick in!

But edibles have so much more potential than just candies and brownies, and even more exciting; it’s up to you and your imagination! That’s because cannabis tinctures have changed the game when it comes to edibles.

We’re now at the point where if you can eat it, it can be a cannabis edible, thanks to the magic of tinctures.

Tinctures are cannabis extracts dissolved in alcohol that come in small bottles topped with a dropper for easy dosing, and a few drops from a tincture can instantly infuse any meal with cannabis. Whether you want something with THC, CBD, or both, there’s a tincture out there for you.

Daily CBD Tinctures Group

Did you know: You can’t get high from eating raw cannabis on its own because the cannabis plant does not contain THC (the cannabinoid that gets you high). It has THCA- tetrahydrocannabinolic acid- which is converted into THC via a process called decarboxylation.

The most common method of decarboxylating cannabis is through heat, and that’s the reason we burn cannabis. Combustion instantly converts the THCA in the leaves into THC in the smoke.

Smoking a joint

The joint is a beloved tradition among the cannabis faithful. If you smoke with your friends, it’s a shareable, communal experience where you huddle in a circle and pass the joint around.

But even solo sessions offer a reprieve, and the process of rolling your own joint can be almost therapeutic sometimes. For those that can’t roll their own, you can always get pre-rolled joints.

Joints also have a longer consumption time compared to edibles as a joint session can be anywhere from a few minutes to 20-30 depending on who you’re smoking with and how big the joint is.

Unfortunately, there’s not as much room for creativity when it comes to joints vs. edibles. Still, there are people out there like Tony Greenhand, who makes a living off of rolling some of the most intricately mind-blowing joints and blunts you’ve ever seen- he calls it “smokeable art.”

smoking tony greenhand

Costs: edibles vs. smokeables

The cost of flower vs. edibles varies greatly, and it can be hard to make a 1:1 comparison of prices.

With flower, you need to consider the trichomes, the buds, the smell, the taste when it burns, the ash, and even the grower as different crops of the same strain can vary. All of those play a factor in the price, and that’s why it ranges so much. Our best value deals go for less than $6 per gram, while our Connoisseur AAAA Flower strains can be double that.

If you wanted to go even further than that, there’s the lab analysis and the terpene profile.

When it comes to edibles, they are generally more cost-effective than flower. Many of our edible gummies (MOTA Indica Jellies) contain 100mg of THC per package and range in price from $11 – 15.

The most potent edible we ever carried was the SeC Rosebud, which contains a whopping 800 mg of THC. It went for $50 and was recommended for experienced users. Its popularity means we can’t guarantee it’s in stock, but you can try here.

Edibles vs. smokeables: Final verdict

We can’t say which is better between edibles and smokeables because making that call is subjective, and there are so many reasons why they’re both fantastic. The only person who can answer that question is you.

If you don’t know the answer yet, don’t worry. please contact us at [email protected] and we’d be happy to navigate you towards something that will work best for you.

Maybe you’ll find there are certain times or days when you prefer smoking and other times where an edible would be perfect.

But whatever happens, it’s up to you- your preferences, your mood, and what you’re getting up to that day. So get out there and find what you like!

joint smoking