How to Recover from Edibles
28 Nov 2022
It’s, of course, essential to learning all about the most common symptoms of being too high on CBD edibles, especially on other cannabis products in Canada today with high amounts of THC. And you want to know how long to recover from edibles, more so if you’re up for some critical stuff the following morning. But we also learned that many Canadians are a little bit hesitant to try CBD edibles and other cannabis products. And that’s mainly because they haven’t gotten satisfying answers to a few of their most pressing questions, many of which are as follows:
Important Questions About CBD Edibles and Other Cannabis Products
- Why do I still feel high after two days on edibles?
- Has anyone died from edibles?
- How to stop dizziness from edibles?
- What happens when you eat an edible and go to sleep?
So we decided to cover all these crucial things for you in this guide. After all, our objective is to publish valuable content for our readers. And here we go:
What Are Edibles?
To make sure we’re on the same page, let’s define what edibles are in the context of Canada’s booming cannabis industry this year. Simply put, CBD edibles are, as its name implies, products infused with CBD (cannabidiol) and sometimes THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), among other compounds that you can eat or mix into your favourite food and drinks.
As of this writing, each 1000mg pack of edibles in Canada today is required only to contain no more than 0.3% THC. That means edible product creators and distributors aren’t allowed to infuse THC at levels higher than 0.3% into each pack of 1000mg edibles. Here’s our carefully curated, highly recommended list of legal edibles in Canada this 2022.
And because many Canadians we interviewed for this guide are bud smokers, we also learned that at present, an individual is allowed to possess no more than 30 grams of marijuana buds or 150 grams of medical marijuana at a time. This means there won’t be a problem if you walk around the streets of an area in Canada where cannabis products and marijuana have been decriminalized, legalized and regulated for recreational, medical, research and therapeutic applications, as long as you follow this max limit.
Meanwhile, let’s talk about the difference between CDB edibles and THC edibles. Simply put, CBD edibles are products containing higher amounts of cannabidiol and, in many cases, 0 to trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol. On the other hand, THC edibles are infused with higher concentrations of THC and average amounts of CBD. But both types of edible products in Canada also contain other organic compounds found in hemp and marijuana plants, including terpenes.
So these edibles are essentially derived from marijuana and hemp plants. And let’s talk about that next in more detail.
What Are Cannabis Plants?
As its name implies, cannabis is a family of plants. And it has two widely known breeds, namely hemp and marijuana. Meanwhile, under each breed are two groups of plants, which are cannabis Sativa and cannabis Indica.
And this is why there are Sativa strains, Indica strains and hybrid strains. The first is weed products harvested from Sativa-dominant types of marijuana plants. On the other hand, the second strain type is from Indica-dominant marijuana plants. And the third one is from plants produced after organic cross-breeding processes are done to combine Indica and Sativa-dominant marijuana plants in various concentrations.
So, you’ll find THC edibles in Canada’s local cannabis market today that are derived from these Sativa, Indica and hybrid strains of marijuana plants. Meanwhile, CBD edibles are derived from similar strain varieties of hemp.
CBD vs THC — What’s the Difference?
Before we start with the meat and potatoes of this guide on the symptoms of being too high, one thing to tackle is the salient differences between CBD and THC. So to quickly answer this question, THC is known to have psychoactive effects on the mind when it interacts with the human CNS (central nervous system). On the other hand, CBD isn’t known to have any of the same psychoactive effects.
This means you won’t get high on CBD. But it’s the exact opposite when it comes to THC. To clarify, some Canadians still consider the relaxing effects of CBD as somebody high, especially when it comes to easing their stress and fatigue, relieving their physical pains or discomfort and helping them sleep. And many of the same individuals, mostly seasoned weed smokers, say this CBD body high is quite similar to the body high they get when they smoke Indica-dominant weed.
Symptoms of Being Too High — How to Manage Your Experience with Edibles
So let’s start to answer the most pressing questions of the Canadians we interviewed for the past several months regarding the country’s cannabis edibles. What we intend to do here is to help you manage your experience each time you take your favourite edibles.
How Long to Recover from Edibles?
The effects of edibles and the duration of those effects are dependent on several main factors. These include the concentrations of CBD and THC among other organic compounds in the edible product, your body weight and the tolerance you’ve steadily built as you use edibles, the current state of your body and mind, any physiological or health condition that might be relevant, and if you’re taking other medications and substances like alcohol and caffeine simultaneous with your favourite cannabis edibles.
So generally speaking, the most popular CBD edibles in Canada today have body high effects that usually last for 2 to 6 hours for Canadians with average height and weight. But these individuals ordinarily built up a tolerance to the effects of these CBD edibles at levels expected after 2 to 3 months of regularly taking CBD edibles. So if you’re a beginner, it’s likely for the effects of your favourite CBD edibles to last longer, say 4 to 10 hours or less.
Meanwhile, anecdotal and scientific evidence gathered by research groups in many of Canada’s universities and medical laboratories indicates that the effects of THC edibles last longer than those of CBD edibles. They say this averages around 3 to 8 hours for individuals with standard tolerance and 5 to 12 hours for beginners and first-timers.
But keep in mind the duration of these effects isn’t the same as the length of time it takes for you to recover fully. For example, many Canadians say they usually feel a little bit rough on the edges for another hour or so after they notice that the primary effects of their favourite edibles have gone away. So to effectively manage your time and plan your activities for the day or the next, add another couple of hours for full recovery from the time you start to feel the effects of your CBD and THC edibles.
Now, what’s key is the phrase “from the time you start to feel the effects.” And that’s because edibles, CBD or THC, usually take around 60 to 90 minutes or so before their effects kick in. This is much longer than the length of time it takes for these effects to kick in when you smoke or vape weed products.
Why Do I Still Feel High After 2 Days on Edibles?
This is a common question that we got from many of the Canadians we interviewed for the past several months when we were developing this guide on the symptoms of being too high on edibles. Many of them said they experience flashbacks and similar effects even if a couple of days have passed since they last took CBD and THC edibles.
And that’s precisely the reason behind this experience – Flashbacks. This is quite normal and expected for first-timers or beginners who only started building up a tolerance for a week or so. Plus, the likelihood of this happening is much better if the same individuals were to take THC edibles or CBD products with significant levels of THC content.
But of course, if you constantly experience these flashbacks and effects long after the day that you took edibles, then you’re advised to consult your physician or a medical professional near you with expertise in relevant fields. Keep in mind you might have physiological conditions that might not sit well with these edibles, such as allergic reactions and other types of negative responses. It might even be mixing with the other medications you’re regularly taking for your other health-related conditions.
Has Anyone Died from Edibles?
Fortunately, fatal overdose on products derived from marijuana and hemp alone is unheard of across Canada and in many countries around the world. But there’s such a thing as edible overdose, though conclusive evidence indicates this isn’t fatal.
Instead, deaths attributed to CBD and THC edibles, among other cannabis-derived products in Canada today, are due to accidents, most of which are related to operating vehicles and falling from stairs, ledges and cliffs while still feeling the effects of edibles. Acts of violence resulting in fatalities are very rare in the country. The few cases indicated result from existing mental health conditions like psychosis and PTS (post-traumatic stress syndrome).
How to Stop Dizziness from Edibles?
Many Canadians say they manage the dizziness they sometimes feel after taking CBD and THC edibles by drinking more water and eating light snacks. Lots of them also say they make it a point to eat a full meal first, wait for a couple of hours, take their favourite CBD and THC edibles, and drink plenty of water afterwards while feeling its effects, and even in crashing phases (when effects start to wear off).
The latter method is an effective way to avoid feeling dizzy after you take CBD and THC edibles and during the time you feel its effects. Meanwhile, the former is an effective technique to eliminate those dizzy spells. Once you bring your dizziness down to more manageable proportions with any of these techniques, then you’re advised to take a quick nap.
Remember, products like these tap the energy sources in your body for you to feel its effects. And your body also taps the same energy resources to process these products. So if you don’t have enough energy reserves, you’re likely to feel weak and nauseous, which is the same feeling that you often get when doing vigorous physical activities while hungry or thirsty.
What Happens When You Eat an Edible and Go to Sleep?
Chances are, you’ll get more restful sleep. That’s what many of the Canadians we talked to for this symptom of being too high on the edibles guide told us.
And this makes a lot of sense. After all, CBD and THC edibles help relieve physical pains and discomfort, stress and fatigue and effectively manage insomnia. So unless you mix other substances like prescription medication, recreational drugs or alcohol and caffeine before and after taking your favourite CBD and THC edibles, the answer to this question is entirely predictable.
Can I Get Addicted to Edibles?
Physical addiction to cannabis-derived products is quite rare not just in Canada but across many countries worldwide. There isn’t even any conclusive evidence anywhere to link cannabis and marijuana to strong symptoms of physical addiction.
However, of course, there’s such a thing as psychological addiction to these cannabis products, or to any product for that matter, especially to food. That’s also among the leading causes of specific weight management issues and other more severe health problems that many people worldwide are trying to overcome each day.
A few Canadians who helped us develop this symptom of being too high on edibles guide say they usually find themselves considering alcoholism and potential addiction to edibles and other cannabis-derived products as quite similar. But that isn’t the case because there are lots of conclusive scientific and anecdotal evidence for alcohol consumption and its direct link to physical addiction. And the reason for this is certain glands secrete hormones that, in turn, make the body and mind think it wants more alcohol. And this doesn’t happen with cannabis consumption. According to many Canadian researchers and medical professionals, we consulted about this for several months.
How to Effectively Manage Your Experience with CBD and THC Edibles
Now that we’ve covered answers to the most pressing questions of many Canadian cannabis lovers about edibles let’s talk about how to make sure that you get the best experience possible with the CBD and THC edibles in Canada’s cannabis market today. This can supplement the stuff you learned about the symptoms of being too high on these products. So let’s start!
- Confirm with your local physician or medical expert whether or not you have any allergic reaction to CBD and THC edibles. Also, ask if doing this will have adverse effects on your body and mind when it mixes with other medications you’re currently taking if any.
- As mentioned earlier in more detail, make it a point to have enough energy reserves before you start taking CBD and THC edibles. You can do this by scheduling your consumption of these edible products after a full meal. Plus, don’t forget to drink enough water before you take your favourite edibles.
- Similarly, drink enough water while you’re feeling the effects of your CBD and THC edibles. And if you feel a little bit nauseous or dizzy, then try to drink more water and eat some light snacks like crackers and so on, or even sweet treats because a likely cause of your mild dizziness is a lower than usual sugar level.
- If it’s your first time, you’re recommended to bring a trip-sitter along with you. This is still advisable for regular edible consumers, especially if you want to try out edible products that are pretty different from your usual ones and will only be testing them for the first time. Also, keep in mind that the trip-sitter you choose should have significant experience in doing this.
- List down the medical facilities with emergency responder units near you, particularly those specializing in handling CBD and THC consumption issues. Keep their contact details ready. Aside from reducing the risks that can happen in the event of these accidents, you’ll feel much better after taking your favourite CBD and THC edibles since you won’t be worrying too much about what to do in case of unforeseen events because you’re already prepared for it.
- Take CBD and THC edibles in a controlled environment. It’s ill-advised for you to do this in the middle of public places or commercial areas with lots of strangers around you. Plus, avoid walking around dangerous areas while still feeling the effects of your CBD and THC edibles, including walkways near roads for fast-moving vehicles, pathways and corridors with steep falloffs, high stairs without rails and ledges, etc.
- Constantly practise mindfulness after taking edibles. Continuously observe yourself and the stuff you feel related to the effects of the CBD or THC edibles you took.
How Are Cannabis Edibles Made?
Let’s discuss a few of the most widely used ways to make CBD and THC edibles. This won’t just enable you to know exactly what you’re introducing to your body but can also help you enjoy making safe homemade recipes, especially if you decide later on to grow your marijuana or hemp plants.
- There’s something called CBD tinctures. This extract is derived from freshly harvested buds of cannabis plants. To make tinctures, you’ll need to soak your buds in organic solvents like alcohol for less than a day or two. Afterwards, it would be best to strain your solution because your objective is to isolate the fluid from your soaked buds. Then, you can use that liquid for your edible recipes. You can also use it for your vape pens.
- Cannabutter is what you get when you let fresh buds simmer in melted butter for a few minutes. You’ll need to mix it while it simmers constantly. Then, you can use your cannabutter for the edibles you want to make, such as brownies, cookies and so on. Your imagination only limits you from using cannabutter for a vast variety of recipes.
- Another type of cannabis extract is called concentrates. Think of common orange juice concentrates for a much better idea of this. That’s similar to these concentrates, mainly because these cannabis concentrates are, as its name implies, concentrated extracts derived from the buds and leaves of marijuana and hemp plants.
And don’t forget the breed of cannabis plants you use for your edibles will also affect its CBD and THC concentrations. You can also control the number of terpenes in your edibles by deciding on the number of leaves to include when you harvest the buds of your cannabis plants. This, in turn, allows you to test out different aroma strengths to retain the raw components of the edibles you want to make. Meanwhile, the strains you use will also affect the high that you get from your edibles. For example, cannabis Indica varieties have body high effects, and cannabis Sativa strains are known to promote intense concentration, focus, creative inspiration and other mind-high effects.
So to conclude our guide on the symptoms of being too high on these cannabis products, we advise you to check out the truth about edibles guide. We prepared this more comprehensive guide to the most popular CBD and THC edibles in the Canadian market today just for you.