One of the fastest growing areas in the marijuana business are edible cannabis products. The reasons for this are fairly straightforward.

• Some people don’t like smoking.
• Edibles tend to be more discreet than firing up a joint.
• There is a lot of variety in edible products, from chocolates to fruit
• Edibles also tend to provide a “high” that last longer than what a person gets through smoking.

It’s not rocket science. But that last one should provide a bit of a warning sign to those who have never tried marijuana-infused food and drink. It’s not the same experience as smoking, and smart users go into it with a bit of caution and prudence.

Yes, we realize “caution and prudence” aren’t words typically associated with marijuana. But that’s an image from the past. Times have changed. So for the savvy marijuana user, here are a few tips to remember when making the foray into edible cannabis products.

What You Can Get

First, it’s good to know the choices. Because there are a lot of them. It’s tempting to think you can get almost any product infused with marijuana, because sometimes that seems to be the case.

It’s truly a Golden Age for marijuana. Just check out the vast number of edible products on this site.

There are chocolates, gummies created by professional chefs, double chocolate chunk brownies, peanut butter cookies, mocha coffee, mints, candy bars, vegan granola clusters, truffles, suckers, lozenges, fruit leathers, cannabis cocktails, water and even pet food.

It’s important for those unfamiliar with edibles to understand that the paragraph above could have been much, much longer.

So there are many choices. But finding something that sounds good to you is just the first step.

Know The Dose

Check out the label on edible products to determine the correct amount to consume. For those new to edibles, it’s advisable to consult with the budtender at your local dispensary or online to get an idea of how large an amount of THC a product holds.

A good comparison is craft beer. They vary greatly in the amount of alcohol per ounce. You would want to check the alcohol content of a craft beer before you drink it. Do the same with cannabis edibles.

Be Patient

Because it enters the blood stream through the digestive system, it takes longer to feel the effects of cannabis when using edibles. How much time? That depends largely on each individual’s metabolism. Some might feel the effects in under 30 minutes. For others, it might take as long as an hour.

The important thing to remember is that if you don’t feel it right away, that doesn’t mean you should eat or drink more. Place yourself in a relaxed, comfortable environment and simply wait and see. That’s the only way to know exactly how long it takes and how much you want.

Long Lasting Edibles

And yes, the high effect typically lasts longer with edibles. But much like the craft beer example above, it depends on the person. For first timers, it’s good to not only have that relaxed place to try edibles for the first time, but also plenty of time.

This is not something to try for the first time at 9 p.m. the night before work. Try to keep track of how long the high feeling lasts. It’s another factor in determining how much a person wants to take.

It all sounds like a chore, but it’s worthwhile. Edibles provide an excellent opportunity for those who wish to experience cannabis without having to smoke it. But it’s wise to keep the above factors in mind so that the experience is enjoyable. It also will help a person develop their own personal guidelines for how and when they want to use marijuana edibles.