A person can get high when eating marijuana. It usually takes longer and is not as intense as inhaling marijuana smoke. The high does last longer and is detectable in urine after eating it. Marijuana is typically smoked in a pipe or cigarette but is becoming more popular baked into items like cakes or baked good. The effects of weed on the brain are being investigated as it may be equally damaging after chronic use whether a person smokes or eats the drug. Learn more about what happens if a person eats weed.
Marijuana Bioavailability
Bioavailability is the degree to which a drug is absorbed into the body or is made available physiologically. The bioavailability of marijuana is different when eaten versus smoked. How fast and how long the intense effects of marijuana are felt depends on how it is used. Three main points can be explained about how marijuana administration affects euphoric sensations including:
Onset: if a person breathes in marijuana smoke, the euphoric effects occur within seconds or minutes of inhalation. If foods are eaten containing weed, effects occur after a longer period of time due to the presence of THC since it must be metabolized first in the digestive system.
Length: if marijuana is eaten, the duration of euphoric effects tends to last longer if smoke is inhaled.
Drug testing: eating weed increases the amount of cannabinoids in urine, making drug detection more likely.
Getting High is Harder
When cannabis is ingested by mouth, there is a lower variable oral bioavailability. This happens because the bioavailability of cannabinoids is reduced after oral ingestion due to extensive first pass metabolism. Orally administered drugs must pass through the intestinal wall which is then metabolized by the liver before reaching systemic circulation. This results in slower absorption in the bloodstream. In this process of slower absorption into the bloodstream, a more delayed peak level of THC occurs in the body.
Inhaled marijuana smoke bypasses the body’s digestive system and the effects are more intense. When inhaled, cannabinoids enter the bloodstream quickly from the lungs to the left side of the heart, where they enter the circulatory system which carries them into the brain. When inhaled, cannabinoids like THC reach a peak concentration in 2 to 10 minutes, declining rapidly for a period of 30 minutes.
Oral ingestion of marijuana in cooked brownies has been shown to have higher concentrated amounts of cannabinoid in urine. Although marijuana smokers can potentially measure and adjust the balance of weed effects and the amount of marijuana exposure, the effects of oral ingestion of marijuana are slower in onset and do not allow a person to adjust the dosage.
Overall, it is possible to chew marijuana but a person will still feel the effects of it and how the person responds depends on their body’s physiology and how it is processed.
We encourage people who are struggling with addiction to take time out for treatment. Before things get out of hand, call us to find out how our treatment programs and therapeutic support staff can help you recover from marijuana or other addiction. Call us today at 1-866-217-2636.