The Science of Onset Time

Margaret 00:00:06 Welcome back friends. And today we are doing a dive into the science of onset time. Why edibles hit different. Welcome to Bite Me, the show about edibles where I help you take control of your life. I'm your host and Certified Ganjier Margaret and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here. And welcome back, my friends, to another fabulous episode of Bite Me, the show about edibles. I'm your host, Margaret, and today we're diving into one of the most important and misunderstood aspects of cannabis edibles why they take so long to work and why the timing can be so unpredictable. But before we get into this topic of today's episode, I of course am going to pull a card from the Stoner Trivia race for 20 Trivia Card Game to see if we can test your knowledge a little bit on cannabis, generally speaking. And will there be a test on this? No. This is a multiple choice question you can answer right now. Which UFC fighter said? I'm against testing for weed at all.

Margaret 00:01:10 It's not a performance enhancing drug. Was it Conor McGregor, Holly Holmes or Ronda Rousey? I didn't know the answer to this one, actually, and I was at one time and a pretty avid UFC fan. Not so much anymore. Actually, I don't watch it at all anymore. Which UFC fighter said I'm against testing for weed at all? It's not a performance enhancing drug, was it Conor McGregor, Holly Holmes or Ronda Rousey? And if you answered Ronda Rousey, you would be correct. I am surprised to learn this. I didn't know that Ronda Rousey was an advocate for cannabis. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, why didn't my edibles work? Or why did they take three hours to kick in, I could probably retire. They're all they all suffered from the same misunderstanding of how edibles work in our bodies. And the truth is, edibles are completely different from smoking or vaping cannabis. They don't just take longer to work, they actually work through an entirely different biological process that creates different effects, last longer, and can be influenced by dozens of factors that most people never consider.

Margaret 00:02:33 Today, we are going to be exploring the fascinating science behind why edibles work the way they do. We'll talk about what happens to cannabis when you eat it versus when you smoke it. Why? The timing can vary so dramatically from person to person and even from day to day. And what factors influence how quickly you'll feel, effects, and most importantly, how to use this knowledge to have better, more predictable experiences with edibles. Now, understanding the science behind onset time isn't just academic curiosity, it's practical knowledge that can help you dose more effectively. Avoid uncomfortable experiences. Because we don't want to have repeats of those or avoid them altogether if you've never had one. And also set realistic expectations for your edibles journey. And when you understand why edibles behave the way they do, you can work with your body's natural process instead of fighting against them. And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that journaling your your journey is really helpful, so you can go back and look at what was working and the factors that influenced it at a different time, so you can get more repeatable results.

Margaret 00:03:43 Because that's really what we're looking for oftentimes is that repeatability of outcomes. So let's dive into the fascinating world of cannabis pharmacokinetics and discover why edibles truly do hit different. So to understand why edibles take so long to work, we need to follow the journey that cannabis takes through your body when you eat it. The journey is completely different from what happens when you smoke or vape cannabis, and understanding these differences is key to managing your expectations and having good experiences. So when you smoke or vape, the cannabinoids go directly into your lungs where they're absorbed into your bloodstream almost immediately from your bloodstream, they travel straight to your brain where they bind to cannabinoid receptors and create the effects that you feel. This whole process just takes a few minutes, which is why you feel the effects of smoking almost immediately unless you found yourself that creeper. But when you eat cannabis, it has a much longer and more complex journey. First, your edible goes into your stomach just like any other food. Depending on what else is in your stomach and how your digestive system is functioning that day, it might sit there for anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour before moving on to the next stage from your stomach.

Margaret 00:05:00 The partially digested edible moves into your small intestine where the real absorption begins. The walls of your small intestine are lined with finger like projections called villi, which are designed to absorb nutrients from foods. And this is where the cannabinoids from your edibles start to enter your bloodstream. But here's where things get really interesting, and where the major difference between edibles and smoking becomes apparent. When cannabinoids are absorbed through your intestines, they don't go directly to your brain like they do when you smoke. Instead, they get swept up in what's called the portal circulation and taking directly to your liver. Your liver is like a processing plant for everything you consume. It's designed to break down and modify substances before they're allowed to circulate throughout your body. When THC reaches your liver, it gets converted into a different compound called 11 hydroxy THC. This conversion process is called first pass metabolism, and this is the reason why edibles feel different than smoking. 11 hydroxy THC is actually more potent than regular THC, and it has different effects. It tends to be more sedating, more body focused and longer lasting than the THC that you get from smoking.

Margaret 00:06:16 And this is why people often described edibles as having a more body high compared to the cerebral effects of smoking. This conversion process in your liver takes time, usually at least 30 minutes, but often much longer. And the speed of this process depends on how efficiently your liver is functioning. How much of this specific enzyme you have that convert THC, and what else your liver is processing at the same time? Once 11 hydroxy THC is created in your liver, it finally gets released into general circulation and can travel to your brain and other parts of your body where it creates the effects that you feel. But this final step takes time, as the compound has to circulate through your bloodstream and across the blood brain barrier. This entire process, from eating the edible to feeling the effects, takes typically anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, with most people feeling peak effects between 1 and 4 hours after consumption. The effects then generally decline over the next 4 to 8 hours, though some people report feeling residual effects for up to 12 hours.

Margaret 00:07:22 What makes this process even more complex is that it's not a simple on off switch. The absorption and conversion happen gradually, which is why edibles often have a slow creeping onset rather than the immediate effects of smoking. You might just start to feel something subtle after an hour, with effects building slowly over the next hour or two. The gradual onset is actually one of the most dangerous aspects of edibles for inexperienced users, as many of us know all too well, because the effects build so slowly, it's easy to think that your edible isn't working and to take more. Only to have both doses hit you at the same time once your liver catches up with the processing. This is why we are all familiar with those. These edibles ain't shit. Memes. The duration of edibles effects is also much longer than smoking, because 11 hydroxy THC is processed more slowly by your body than regular THC. While the effects of smoking typically last 1 to 3 hours. Edibles effects commonly last 6 to 8 hours, sometimes longer. So understanding this journey helps explain why edibles can be so unpredictable.

Margaret 00:08:29 Every step of this process can be influenced by different factors what you've eaten, how your digestive system is functioning, how efficiently your liver is working, your overall health, and even your stress levels. And this is why the same dose of the same edible can affect you differently on different days, or affect one person so differently from the next. So now that we understand the basic journey cannabis takes through your body when you eat it, let's explore the many factors that can influence how quickly you start to feel effects. Understanding these factors can help you predict and control your edibles experience much more effectively. So let's start with probably the most significant factor what you've eaten and when you've eaten it. Taking an edible on a completely empty stomach will generally result in faster absorption, but it can also lead to more intense effects and potentially some stomach discomfort. The cannabis will move through your empty stomach more quickly and be absorbed faster in your small intestine. On the other hand, taking an edible right after a large meal, especially one on high in fiber, can significantly delay absorption.

Margaret 00:09:41 Fiber can actually bind to cannabinoids and prevent them from being absorbed efficiently. Heavy, fatty meals can also slow down your entire digestive. Digestive process, meaning your edible might sit in your stomach for much longer. Before moving on to the absorption phase. The sweet spot for most people seems to be taking the edible about an hour after a light meal that includes some healthy fats. The fats can actually help with cannabinoid absorption, since THC and CBD are fat soluble compounds. And while the light meal provides enough substance to aid digestion without significantly slowing down the process so your individual metabolism plays a huge role also in onset time. People with faster metabolisms tend to feel edible sooner and sometimes more intensely, while those with slower metabolisms might wait longer for effects but experience them for a longer duration. Your metabolism can be influenced by factors like age, body weight, muscle mass, activity level, overall health, Stress. And this is why playing around with taking notes on your edibles experience is helpful, because you'll start to notice patterns.

Margaret 00:10:53 Liver function is another critical factor that most people don't consider. Your liver is responsible for converting the THC into 11 hydroxy THC, and people can have varying amounts of specific enzymes that perform this conversion. Some people have a lot of these enzymes and process edibles very differently, while others have fewer enzymes and might need higher doses or experienced delayed effects. Interestingly, some people have genetic variations that make them pore metabolizes of cannabis through the liver. These individuals might find that edibles don't work well for them at all, regardless of dose or timing for these people. Sublingual tinctures that absorb under the tongue and bypass the liver might be more effective. And I don't know about you, but I know several people now. I used to think it was more of an anomaly, but it's a lot more common than I've realized. In large part from doing this podcast that many people don't aren't able to metabolize the cannabis or lack the enzymes that are required to metabolize the cannabis, and either have to take massive doses to feel anything, or they won't feel the effects at all.

Margaret 00:12:02 And when I say massive, I mean I know some people who can easily consume 600mg and barely feel anything, and at that point you have to ask if you have to take a dose that is that high, is it worth it? This is when I would probably recommend that people try other consumption methods. It will be a lot more effective at lower doses. Your tolerance level affects not just how you how much you need to feel effects, but also how quickly you feel them as well. People with higher tolerance often report that edibles take longer to kick in, possibly because their cannabinoid receptors are less sensitive and require higher concentrations to produce noticeable effects. Hydration status can influence can influence edibles absorption more than most people realize. Your digestive system needs adequate hydration to complete to function properly, and dehydration can slow down the entire process. So I would always recommend staying well hydrated throughout the day, especially if you're planning to take edibles and just it's always a good idea just to stay hydrated anyway. Stress levels and overall health can also impact how your body processes edibles.

Margaret 00:13:11 When you're stressed, your body diverts resources away from digestion, which can slow down absorption. Similarly, if you're fighting off an illness or dealing with digestive issues, your body might not process edibles as efficiently as usual, and the type of edible you're consuming can also make a difference in onset time. Gummies and other sugar based edibles might be absorbed slightly faster than baked goods or chocolates. Beverages often have the fastest onset times because liquids move through your stomach more quickly than solids, and some edibles are designed for faster absorption products that dissolve under your tongue or are designed to be absorbed through the tissues in your mouth, can bypass the digestive system entirely and work much more quickly, sometimes in as little as 15 to 30 minutes. Your activity level after taking an edible can also influence onset time. Light physical activity can stimulate digestion and potentially speed up absorption, while lying down or being sedentary might slow things down. Some people find that taking a short walk after consuming an edible helps it kick in more quickly. And if you're doing this also after dinner, which is known as a postprandial, then you're getting the added benefits of a little bit of exercise after having a meal as well.

Margaret 00:14:29 The time of day you take your edible can matter to your digestive system, tends to be more active during the day and slower at night, which might affect absorption timing. Your circadian rhythm also influences how your liver processes substances, potentially making edibles work differently at different times of the day. Medications can significantly impact how your body processes edibles. Some medications affect liver function, while others might speed up or slow down your digestive system. If you're taking any prescription medications, it's worth discussing potential interactions with your doctor. And I know a lot of people might feel a little sensitive sensitive about this, especially if you're living in a place where cannabis is not is not legal. But doctors do, I believe, everywhere, have the doctor patient confidentiality. And you do want to make sure that if you are taking any prescription medications, that there are no interaction interactions that you need to know about. Age is another factor that can influence onset time. As we get older, our metabolism Embolism generally slows down or liver function might become less efficient, and our digestive system might not work as quickly as it used to.

Margaret 00:15:43 Older adults often report that edibles take longer to kick in, but last longer once they do. Maybe in the end, at the end of the day, for the older adults, it's not such a bad thing. Mood and expectations can also play a role in how you perceive onset time. If you're anxiously waiting for an edible to kick in. Checking the clock every few minutes, you might feel like it's taking forever as as clock watching often does, even if it's working on a normal timeline. And conversely, if you're distracted and not thinking about it, you might notice the gradual onset until the effects are quite strong. So understanding all these factors helps explain why edibles can be so unpredictable. Even for experienced users, the same person taking the same dose at the same time can have a completely different experience on different days, depending on these various factors. One of the most fascinating aspects of edible science is how dramatically different people can respond to the same dose, even when all the other factors seem to be equal.

Margaret 00:16:43 And these individual variations are largely due to genetic differences on how our bodies process cannabis. And understanding this can help explain why your edibles experience might be completely different from your friends. The most significant genetic factor is the variation in liver enzymes that convert THC to 11 hydroxy THC. The primary enzyme responsible for this conversion is called CP2C9, and people have different versions of this enzyme that work at different speeds. Some people have what's called the rapid metabolized version, which processes THC very quickly and efficiently, and these individuals will often feel edibles effects sooner and might need higher doses to achieve the same effects as others. On the other end of the spectrum are the poor metabolisms, who have versions of CYP two To see that work much more slowly. And these people might not feel edibles for several hours, or in some cases might not feel significant effects at all, regardless of dose. This isn't a tolerance issue. It's a fundamental difference in how their liver processes cannabis. Then there's also the intermediate metabolism, who falls somewhere in between these two extremes.

Margaret 00:17:52 That's probably where I fall. And the distribution of these different metabolisms varies among different populations, which helps explain why cannabis affects different ethnic groups differently on average. Another important genetic factor is the variation in cannabinoid receptors themselves. We all have CB1 and CB2 receptors throughout our bodies, but the density and sensitivity of these receptors can also vary significantly from person to person. Some people have more receptors or more sensitive receptors, making them more responsive to cannabis in general. So if that's you, you're lucky because it probably means that you need less cannabis to get the same effects as the next person. There's also genetic variations in how quickly our bodies clear cannabinoids for our system. Some people have more efficient clearance mechanisms, meaning the effects of edibles don't last as long for them, and others clear cannabinoids more slowly, leading to longer lasting effects. Body composition plays a role in individual variations, too. Since cannabinoids are fat soluble, they can be stored in fatty tissues and released slowly over time. People with higher body fat percentages might experience longer lasting effects, while those with lower body fat might feel effects more intensely, but for shorter periods, that is also lucky for me.

Margaret 00:19:09 Gender can also influence how people respond to edibles, though the research is still developing in this area because, as we know, medically speaking, for the longest time women were not studied. They were just considered to be smaller versions of men. And of course, we're finding out how beautiful and damn complicated women's bodies are all on their own. Some studies suggest that women might be more sensitive to THC during certain phases of their menstrual cycle, due to hormonal influences on cannabinoid receptor sensitivity. I would love to see more research on this, I think. That is absolutely fascinating. Age related changes in liver function, metabolism, and body composition means that the same person might respond differently to edibles at different stages in their life, and many people find that they may need to adjust their edibles dosing as they get older. And I'm going to comment on this as well, because I find that that has been my experience. As I'm getting older, I feel like my tolerance is almost getting lower. I need less milligrams in an edible to get the same effects that once took me more, and it's kind of been an interesting and pleasant discovery in a lot of ways, because of course, anytime you can consume less to get the same effects, you're able to save money, save time, save energy, save all kinds of things.

Margaret 00:20:22 So I found that to be pretty interesting that I have noticed a change in my own my own dosing. Previous cannabis use can create lasting changes in how people respond to edibles. Regular cannabis users often develop tolerance not just to the effects, but potentially to the absorption and processing of cannabinoids as well. And some people have genetic variations that affect their pain sensitivity, anxiety levels, and other conditions that cannabis cannabis is commonly used to treat, and these individuals might need different doses or experience different effects from edibles compared to those without these conditions. And there's also rare genetic conditions that can dramatically affect how people process cannabis. For example, some people have the genetic variations that make them extremely sensitive to THC, requiring much smaller doses than average to achieve effects. This is also why you start low and go slow, because you never know if you might be that person before you start out. And through doing this podcast, I have met people who find that one milligram is the dose that will give them the desired effect that they're looking for.

Margaret 00:21:28 One milligram. Now, this is again not as common, perhaps, but something to bear in mind that if you're just starting out and you're suggesting to people or you're or you're suggesting to people to start low and go slow, you really can't start low enough because you never know if you're going to be that person who can consume very little and get the effects that they're looking for. So understanding these genetic factors helps explain why there's no universal right dose for edibles. What works perfectly for one person might be too much for or too little for another, even if they're the same size, age, and experience level. And of course, over time, that dosing level can change as well as I'm experiencing. And this is why I always emphasize the importance of finding your own personal dose through careful experimentation, rather than relying on what works for other people. Your genetics are unique, and your optimal edibles experience will be unique too, which is also why cannabis is so fascinating. It also explains why some people seem to be naturally good at edibles, while others struggle to find the right dose or timing.

Margaret 00:22:35 And it's not necessarily about experience or knowledge. Sometimes it's just about having genetics to work well with how edibles are processed. Now that we understand the science behind edibles onset time, let's look at how to use this knowledge practically to improve your edibles experience. First, set realistic, realistic expectations for timing. Plan for edibles to take anywhere between 1 to 3 hours to reach peak effects, and don't make any judgements about whether they're working until at least two hours have passed. I always tell people to clear their schedule for the entire day when trying a new edible or dose because again, you don't want to take another edible because you're not feeling the effects. Pay attention to your personal patterns. Keep a log noting what you ate that day when you took your edible, when you first felt effects. And when you reach peak effects. And over time, you'll start to see patterns that can help you predict timing more accurately. I do have a journal that can help you with this specifically, and of course you can always use a note on your phone.

Margaret 00:23:41 And I'm sure there's other journals out there or a blank notebook. Use the factors we discussed to your advantage. If you want faster onset, take your edible about an hour after light meal with some healthy fats, and if you want to slow things down, go for a more gradual experience. Take it with a larger meal. It's kind of cool that you can control things once you figure out what your patterns are. Consider your goals when timing your edibles. If you want to fix for sleep, take your edibles 2 to 3 hours before bedtime to account for onset time. If you want effects for social events, plan accordingly. And maybe, maybe take a test dose beforehand to understand your timing and don't dose too quickly. This is probably the most common mistake that people make with edibles. If you don't feel anything after an hour. Resist the urge to take more. Wait at least three hours before considering additional doses and depending on the circumstances, just leave it for the day and try again the next day.

Margaret 00:24:34 Consider sublingual options if you consistently have problems with edibles. Timing tinctures held under the tongue can work much faster and more predictably than traditional edibles. They're also pretty easy to make if you don't want to buy them at a dispensary, don't have access to a dispensary, or you just prefer the DIY. They're very easy to make. Stay hydrated and consider light activity after taking edibles to potentially help with absorption. A short walk or some gentle movement can help move things along literally and figuratively. And of course, that's just an added bonus for your health. And there you have it. The fascinating science behind why edibles work the way they do. Understanding onset time isn't just about satisfying curiosity. It's about having safer, more predictable and more enjoyable experiences with cannabis edibles. And remember, edibles work through a completely different biological process than smoking, involving your digestive system and liver in ways that create unique timing and effects. Individual variations in genetics. Metabolism other factors mean that your experience will be uniquely yours. We are all unique little butterflies, my friends, and the key principles we've covered here today are patients, realistic expectations, attention to personal patterns, and using your understanding of the science to work with your body rather than against it.

Margaret 00:25:59 So thank you for joining me today, my friends. If you know someone who would enjoy this episode, please get out your phone right now and text it to them right here while I wait. Consider joining the Bite Me Cannabis Club to continue the conversation over there. Until next time, my friends. I'm your host, Margaret. Stay. Hi.