Eating vs. Smoking Cannabis: What is the Difference?

Some years ago, if people wanted to consume cannabis the only way to do it was smoking.

Nowadays, there are a lot of other ways of using cannabis, such as eating cannabis edibles, but of course, traditional smoking is always actual.

Depending on how you consume cannabis by smoking or by eating there can be a lot of differences and effects of using cannabis can be different depending on whether you prefer smoking or eating.

Depending on how you ingest cannabis into your body, you will likely experience different effects and for varying lengths of time. This is simply down to the biology of the human body and how it breaks down the chemicals within cannabis.

In this article, we will break down the two most common methods of using cannabis.

Most Common Ways to Ingest Cannabis

Everybody who uses cannabis is interested in eating cannabis or smoking. There are some myths that smoking is stronger than eating cannabis, but it is not true. In some cases, edibles are stronger. In general, it depends on the quantity of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) used in both edibles and cartridges.

Smoking

One of the most common ways to ingest cannabis is via smoking, either as a cigarette, in a pipe-shaped object, or using a vaporizer. The reason this method is popular is due to its ease of use and the predictability of its effects. Users can typically expect to feel the effects within minutes of ingestion.

In the past, the only way to smoke cannabis was using cigarettes, now you can choose one of these types of smoking: vaporizers, hand pipes, water pipes, rolling papers, hookahs, etc.

Eating

On the other hand, eating cannabis (otherwise known as “edibles”) can be much less predictable, and the effects may not be felt for hours. This depends heavily upon what you ate in the hours leading up to ingesting the cannabis and several other physiological variables that a lot of people don’t consider.
Let’s break each one down in more detail to see the main differences between eating and smoking cannabis.

With the relatively recent legalization of cannabis in some US States, people can now purchase the drug from a marijuana dispensary for both medical and recreational use. For people who have never used marijuana before or have limited experience, it can often be confusing as to what method is best for ingesting it.



The most popular edibles among cannabis users are cannabis chocolates, cannabis food bars, cannabis-infused beverages , THC candies. The most common and popular ones are cannabis-infused gummy bears and cannabutter, which you can use in a lot of dishes in your everyday routine.

Duration and Potency

Smoking

When smoking, you will typically feel the effects within minutes. It is for this reason that smoking is the most popular way to consume cannabis. It is much easier to regulate the amount you are taking, and you can smoke until you reach the desired effect.

Usually, the effects will peak between 30-60 minutes after smoking, and then they will start to decline after that. Depending on how much you smoked, you can expect the effects to disappear within 2-4 hours.

As far as potency is concerned, you can easily control how much cannabis you are using in your cigarette, vape, or pipe, and you can stop as soon as you feel the effects.

Eating

The main difference between smoking and eating cannabis is how the body absorbs the THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). This is the main active ingredient that makes you feel “high.” Smoking delivers THC directly to the brain, which is why we feel the effects in a matter of minutes.

Eating cannabis means it must pass through our digestive system and eventually, our liver, where it metabolizes into 11-hydroxy-THC and finally absorbs into our bloodstream. This whole process can take anywhere between 30-120 minutes.



Many people make the mistake of eating another edible because they didn’t feel anything from the first one. Suddenly, they get hit by a double dose and a very overwhelming experience that they didn’t sign up for.

When taking edibles, be sure you know what the strength is of each one and be sure to leave at least 2 hours before eating a second dose.

Dosing Differences

Smoking

Controlling the dose when smoking is relatively straightforward. You need to know what type of cannabis you are smoking and what strain it is. If you know the THC content, then even better.

The best advice is to smoke slowly and in small quantities until you feel the desired effect.

Eating

When eating cannabis, it is particularly hard to get an accurate dose. So much so that even a government-owned cannabis dispensary would have a hard time keeping their doses consistent.

[caption id="attachment_34089" align="aligncenter" width="920"]Blackboard with the chemical formula of CBD[/caption]

As a rule of thumb, one dose is 10mg of THC. As this is taken as food, it is referred to as a serving.

Things like body weight, diet, and other medications you are currently taking will all play a factor. Start small and slowly increase the amount you consume.

Which One is Healthier: Smoking vs Eating

Smoking

From a medical standpoint, smoking cannabis is excellent for immediate pain relief as it only takes between 30 and 90 seconds to start feeling the effects. However, the long-term consequences of smoking cannabis can still be detrimental to your health.

You are inhaling byproducts from combustion and taking them directly into your lungs, which, of course, raises concerns over cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins. Some people frequently use tobacco when smoking marijuana, which drastically increases health risks.

Eating

Edibles are commonly taken in the form of cookies or brownies, which are, of course, not the healthiest of foods. Try to switch it up and consume your cannabis with healthier foods to keep the calories down.

But, nowadays, when most people try to switch on healthy living it has its influence on the cannabis industry. There are a lot of healthy and yummy recipes that can be made with cannabis, such as cannabis peanut butter, cannabis granola bars, cannabis honey, cannabis coconut oil and a lot of other dishes.

It is important to mention that there is a new term in the cannabis industry which is cannabis and veganism, which means that it is possible to make a lot of cannabis-infused sweets and dishes for vegans and vegetarians.

The Bottom Line

It is not mandatory to choose between these two if you are a cannabis user. You can do both eating and smoking but choosing between these two depends on users’ preferences. There are a lot of people who don’t like to combine eating with cannabis and smoking marijuana is a ritual for them.

Anyway, there are a lot of differences between these two, but the aim is the same, getting high and it is the user who can understand which is better for him/her eating or smoking.

So, there you have it. I hope this article has cleared up the main differences between eating and smoking cannabis. Even though you are still experiencing effects from the same active ingredients, these effects can feel vastly different from one another for a variety of reasons.

The best advice is always to start small and increase your dosage incrementally until you reach the desired effect. This is especially true for edibles.

---

Author Bio:

Bertha Garrett is deeply involved in the cannabis industry. She worked as a budtender for 2 years. Now she handles content at NACCC+.

---