A Beginner's Guide to Cannabis Edibles

Everything You Need to Know About Eating Cannabis Edibles

Cannabis edibles (marijuana-infused foods) are among the most popular products not just at Boston dispensaries, but at dispensaries across the country. The variety of cannabis edible options—from classic brownies to candies to colas—along with the different effects of edibles vs. smoking, however, may intimidate some new users. If you’re new to edibles, here’s what you need to know before visiting your local dispensary.  

What is a Cannabis Edible?

Marijuana edibles are simply foods or drinks infused with cannabinoids, the chemical compounds found in cannabis. Edibles are an easy and intuitive way to consume marijuana and provide a different experience than smoking it because cannabinoids are processed differently when ingested rather than inhaled. In general, edibles take longer to kick in and have stronger, more consistent, longer-lasting effects than smoking. 

Popular cannabis edible products you’ll likely find at a dispensary near you include: 

  • Brownies
  • Cakes
  • Candies
  • Chocolate
  • Coffee
  • Gummies
  • Mints 
  • Muffins
  • Soda
  • Syrup
  • Tea

Cannabis-curious cooks can even find infused butter, olive oil, sugar, and flour for whipping up their own cannabis-infused creations. 

The Best Edibles for Beginners

The best advice for new edible users is to start slow and stick to low doses. A good guideline for new users is to begin with edibles containing between 1 and 2.5mg of THC and gradually increase the dosage 1-2.5mg until you find the optimal amount for you. Even experienced cannabis consumers who are new to edibles are advised to start slow and work up to find the dosage best for them.  

Over-consumption is a common mistake made with edibles, which rarely results in an enjoyable experience and is a good case for visiting your local dispensary. The edibles procured at a dispensary are highly regulated and are required to state their potency on the label—making it easy to avoid overdoing it—while the dosage of the treats cooked up in a friend’s kitchen is more difficult to nail down.  

How Long for Edibles to Take Effect? 

Your body needs to digest an edible for it to take effect and the speed at which they kick in can vary depending on a variety of factors, including your metabolism, weight, and cannabis tolerance. 

Normally, it takes anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes for an edible to take effect. In some cases, it can take up to two hours for some to feel the effects—which makes waiting two hours before consuming more edibles a good guideline to follow and will help you avoid overdoing it. Users who are very new to eating edibles should play it even safer and let 12 to 24 hours pass before taking a second dose.

The type of product you consume can also play a role in how fast an edible takes hold. Sublingual edibles (e.g., hard candies and lollipops) enter your bloodstream through your mouth and produce faster results than ingestibles (like brownies and gummies), which have to work through the digestive system. 

How Long Does an Edible High Last?

Similar to how long it takes to feel the effects of edible, how long the high lasts also depends on a handful of factors, such as the dose and potency of the edible and the weight, metabolism, and tolerance of the user. In general, the effect of edibles lasts between six and eight hours, but it’s not uncommon for users to feel their influence for up to twelve hours—especially if they’re particularly sensitive.  

Start on a Full Stomach

A good rule for consuming cannabis edibles to avoid eating them on an empty stomach. Taking edibles on a full stomach slows down how long it takes for them to kick in and makes the feeling they produce last longer. Importantly for beginners, it keeps the high from coming on too quickly and intensely and helps users avoid nausea.  

It’s worth noting that eating food after consuming an edible can potentially have an alternate effect—pushing more cannabis into your system and increasing its potency. 

Are Cannabis Edibles Safe?

No one has ever died from a cannabis overdose and many consider marijuana a safer alternative to other legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco. When it comes to marijuana, edibles are often thought of as the “safe” alternative to smoking—it’s easier to measure the dose and is easier on the lungs.   

The most common issue with eating cannabis edibles is overconsumption, which while can be a bad time, is something you’ll survive. If you do overindulge, try to:

  • Stay calm and remember that it will pass
  • Drink water to dull your high and combat dry mouth (some people believe that adding black pepper or lemon zest can ease the effects)
  • Put on soothing music or stream a calming movie or show 
  • Sleep it off 

Overconsumption is easily avoidable—just start small with low-dosage edibles and incrementally increase the dosage until you find what works best for you.  

Lowkey Experience 

Another way to ensure an excellent experience with edibles is to work with your local dispensary. Lowkey can help you sift through the huge variety of edible products to find one that works for your lifestyle and desired experience—whether it’s leveling up to go out or calming down for a relaxing night in. Our staff can also offer advice for getting started on edibles, help you decipher the dosages of particular products, and take the guesswork out of adult-use marijuana. 

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Launching Lowkey Dispensary

When we open the doors to Lowkey Dispensary in Dorchester’s Codman Square neighborhood this fall, it will be a monumental moment—not just for us, but for the city of Boston itself.

A Boston Black-Owned Dispensary

Just how important is the opening of a Black-owned dispensary in the city of Boston? The answer is very. The opening of Lowkey and other Black-owned dispensaries bring inclusivity to an industry that is overwhelmingly white and unrepresentative of users. While marijuana use between Black and white Americans is nearly identical, ownership of cannabis businesses is not. A 2017 survey from Marijuana Business Daily found that 81% of cannabis business owners and founders were white, while just 4.3% were Black.

It’s not just ownership in the cannabis industry where minorities have been left behind, nearly 75% of the Massachusetts marijuana workforce is white, while Black and Latino people make up less than 12%. All this adds up to the opening of Lowkey being a big deal—it’s overcoming the odds, increasing minority representation in the cannabis industry, and bringing a Black-owned business to a neighborhood where more than 40% of the residents are Black. It’s also adding jobs—the cannabis industry is creating jobs at a faster rate than any other American industry.

Minorities and Marijuana

Boston has taken steps to create more diversity in the cannabis industry, most notably through their “economic empowerment” application process, which gives priority review to qualifying applicants, such as minorities and veterans, but has seen moderate success. It was reported that just 27 of the 122 applicants initially given “economic empowerment priority” in 2018 applied for licenses, and only eight received them.

The exclusion of Blacks and other minorities from the cannabis industry is particularly notable, due to the effects marijuana policing has had on the communities over the years. Despite similar rates of marijuana use between Black and white populations, Black people are almost four times more likely to get arrested for marijuana possession. The results of this disproportionate policing have been significant and, in many cases, have life-altering consequences—affecting everything from the ability to receive public benefits like health care and housing to limiting employment opportunities.

Lowkey Community, Location, and Hours

Lowkey hopes to initially employ about 30 workers—we plan on holding job fairs in and around Dorchester in advance of our opening and have a career page on our website for interested applicants. We’re not just looking to staff our dispensary, though—we’re also looking to hire and educate employees from in and around the neighborhood and provide them with the tools to have long-lasting careers in the cannabis industry, a market that’s forecasted to be valued at $84 billion by 2028.

We’re currently in the process of “leveling up” an old restaurant at 571B Washington Street, next to the Citizens Bank in Codman Square. Designed with a modern, lively look—but a low-key vibe—Lowkey dispensary will have 1,700 square feet of retail space and will stimulate economic development in the community.

The dispensary is conveniently located near the Shawmut MBTA station and is adjacent to a municipal lot with about 40 spaces available to Lowkey visitors. We’re also planning on installing a bike rack for those who prefer pedal-powered travel. Initially, Lowkey will be open seven days a week from 10 am to 9 pm, but we’ll adjust to accommodate shopping patterns as we start getting people in the door.

About Us

Lowkey Dispensary’s goal is to provide a superior experience by delivering everything from top-notch products to exceptional service while helping level up our community by creating opportunities for residents and building something that feels like their own. If you’re interested in learning more about Lowkey, sign up for our newsletter for the latest news, updates, and promotions.

Lowkey is just one of many projects our CEO, Jeff Similien, has founded to empower economic growth in Black communities. In 2020, Jeff founded the Co-Pad, Mattapan’s first community-minded co-working space. In addition to providing office space, the Co-Pad frequently hosts events like the Kings Amongst Kings Meet-Up, a monthly series of meet-ups for men of color.