Cooking with Cannabis: The Trippy Science Behind Edibles

November 20, 2021

By Bridget O’Brien


Since marijuana’s legalization in 2019, Canadians have proven that they are stoners, specifically through edibles. Edible sales represent 20% of total cannabis sales in Canada, with approximately 2 million packaged units sold in March 2021 alone. Contrary to what the name “edible” might suggest, simply eating cannabis plants does not make you “high.” Rather, a few simple steps need to be carried out on the dried plant to make it consumable. 

Before understanding how edibles are made, we need to discuss a bit of plant biology. 

Marijuana has two main subspecies: Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica. In both plants, there are hundreds of compounds termed cannabinoids, two of the most common being tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC has psychoactive effects, inducing the classic “high” feeling, while CBD concentrations prompt calming, stress-relieving effects. Growers can crossbreed C. sativa and C. indica to produce hybrid plants, which can then be further crossbred to generate more plants, each with varying amounts of cannabinoids.

THC and CBD are not actually produced by the plant, however. Instead, THC and CBD exist in the plant in their acidic forms, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), respectively. To convert THCA and CBDA into THC and CBD, heat needs to be applied to the dried cannabis plant to induce a chemical reaction known as decarboxylation. Decarboxylation results in the removal of carbon dioxide from THCA and CBDA, modifying the chemical structures into their psychoactive forms. 

“Unlike smoking the plant, consuming edibles causes THC to pass through the gastrointestinal tract before being taken up into the blood. Since THC in edibles needs to be digested, it takes a longer time for the effects to kick in and may vary among consumers, depending on how much they ate that day, their weight, or their metabolism speed.”

When making edibles, one bakes the dried plant to decarboxylate the cannabinoids. Decarboxylated cannabis is then infused into a fat, typically butter or oil, since cannabinoids are fat-soluble, meaning they dissolve easily into fats. This weed butter can essentially be added to almost any dish (in appropriate amounts), such as the popular choice of cookies and brownies, to form an edible.

Thanks to modern-day chemists, various specialized extraction procedures have been developed to extract pure oils or crystal formulations of CBD and THC. Typically, dispensaries use these pure oils in their products since the amount of THC and CBD can be pre-measured and do not have a strong odor. CBD oils have also become increasingly popular in home kitchens and are commonly used in recipes found online.

The effect of cannabinoids will differ depending on the route they take through your body. When smoking the plant, THCA is converted into THC and then passes through the lungs, where it then transfers into the blood and to the brain. As mentioned before, THC is fat-soluble, meaning it doesn’t like to be in our blood, which is mainly composed of water. As a result, THC won’t stay circulating for very long and will bind to receptors relatively quickly, making the onset of effects almost immediate and less lasting than those of an edible.

Unlike smoking the plant, consuming edibles causes THC to pass through the gastrointestinal tract before being taken up into the blood. Since THC in edibles needs to be digested, it takes a longer time for the effects to kick in and may vary among consumers, depending on how much they ate that day, their weight, or their metabolism speed. Once in the blood, THC is transferred to the liver, where it is further metabolized into a different molecule, 11-hydroxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC). 11-OH-THC is more potent and more water-soluble than its cousin molecule, meaning it can stay in the blood for longer, making your “high” stronger in effects and longer-lasting.

Edibles are considered a more discreet, versatile, and tasty alternative to smoking. Although people have reported positive experiences when using edibles, either for recreational use or to alleviate conditions such as chronic pain or anxiety, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the safety and subjective effects of edibles. Specifically, consumers may not understand how much of the edible to consume and how long it will take until the effects kick in. Given all this ambiguity and the strong potency of edibles, it is always a good idea to start low and go slow. 

156 thoughts on “Cooking with Cannabis: The Trippy Science Behind Edibles”

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