What Are The Different Types Of Edibles At Dispensaries

By J Gordon Curtis

Edible forms of cannabis are among the most popular ways to consume it. Coming in a variety of shapes and sizes, it can feel overwhelming to decide on the cannabis product that’s right for you.

With that in mind, we wanted to put together a guide to showcase the way edibles work, the types of edibles available, and where to find the best options. Keep reading to arm yourself with the education necessary to make an informed decision on your edible purchases.

How Do Edibles Work?

Edibles contain cannabinoids within a food or drink. After consuming them, your liver metabolizes the THC into 9-carboxy-THC. This cannabinoid appears to have a better affinity for the receptors in your body, making it stronger and longer lasting. 

While the increase in potency is a major plus side for many consumers, it does mean that you should approach it with more caution. As the old adage goes: you can always take more, you just can’t take less.

Edibles may take upwards of an hour and a half to kick in but the effects may last 5-8 hours. 

What Types of Edibles are there?

While the variety of options available for cannabis edibles may all seem to be essentially the same, they are far from it. Cannabinoids are lipid- and fat-soluble so it only makes sense that different forms of fats would have different capabilities for cannabis.

There are a variety of mediums for cannabis edibles. Through the infusion of oils and butter, virtually anything can become an edible. When it comes to dispensaries, these are the types of edibles that you can typically expect to find.

Gummies

Tried and true, gummies are one of the most popular ways to consume edible forms of cannabis. Some theorize that gummies may kick in faster than other forms of edibles and may be better for precision dosing.

Chocolate

Chocolate contains a great number of fatty compounds for cannabis to bind to and doesn’t require exposure to heat. These two factors make it a great option for creating cannabis edibles and retaining their potency.

Desserts / Baked Goods

Baked goods usually pack the biggest punch. That's because they often use a high volume of fatty compounds which can store cannabis. In an article comparing the abilities of different fats to store cannabinoids, High Times posited that butter and coconut oil are among the best options.

Considering the popularity of these items in baked goods, it should be no surprise that they’re effective and potent. They are not without their own risks, however. 

Since baked goods require heat, it’s always possible that some of the cannabinoids will burn off, rendering the product less effective. This is rarely a concern for commercial products but it does mean that it pays to research your supplier before pulling the trigger.

Hard Candies

Hard candies have a dual action that makes them interesting as an edible option. In addition to the normal mechanism of action with edibles, many believe that there is a sublingual (under the tongue) effect.

Sublingual usage utilizes the thin membrane under your tongue to provide easy access to your bloodstream for cannabinoids. As a result, many report that hard candies often have a more instantaneous effect than other forms of edibles.

Drinks

Since cannabinoids are typically fat soluble, there hasn’t been a good way to infuse drinks until recently. The process of nano-emulsion makes it possible for cannabinoids to dissolve in water. 

The process takes the larger molecule and shatters it into smaller ones so that it can enter openings it previously was unable to. Normally, water could never absorb a molecule as large as a cannabinoid is but, after this process, they can.

Since the body is made up largely of water, having a molecule that can dissolve in it has huge implications. Not only are drinks using this technology faster acting, but they’re also typically considered to have around 100% bioavailability. 

Comparatively, nothing comes close to the capabilities of cannabinoids after this process. 

Where to Find The Best Edibles

As an unregulated product, the quality of different cannabis options is wide-ranging. There are very few requirements that cannabis producers have to observe and, as a result, many produce sub-par products.

Whether you’re looking for edibles or beverages, the team at Perfect Plant™ has you covered. We go way beyond the testing and reporting requirements that the industry holds us to.

Our reason is that we want to produce the best possible product that we can and we’re willing to show it. We put time and effort into every single thing that goes onto our shelves and we’re sure you’ll be happy with it!