In an incident reported at the end of December by Le Parisien, a meeting of friends turned into bad trip group after the consumption of candies purchased in a Parisian CBD shop and containing in particular H4CBD. The consequences were mild but some individuals still ended up in hospital. Could this Secret Ganja have been avoided?
According to Le Parisien, these candies contained H4CBD, a synthetic cannabinoid derived from CBD, CBD and THC in legal doses, below 0.3%. THC, the active substance in cannabis, is known for its psychotropic effects, while CBD, psychoactive but not psychotropic, is found naturally in the plant. H4CBD, a lab-made cannabinoid, adds a layer of complexity to these products.
Even if these products are legal in France, their consumption carries risks. As Professor Nicolas Authier, specialist in pharmacology and addiction, reminds BFMTV, the threshold of 0.3% alone is misleading. The quantity of cannabinoids ingested matters more here than the percentage.
The consumption ofedibles, foods infused with cannabis, generate more effects than when smoked with the disadvantage of a long latency between ingestion and the arrival of the effects. It is therefore generally recommended to wait 2 hours before seeing if the dose ingested takes effect and especially not to take a slice of space cake for example before, at the risk of experiencing a double kiss-cool effect when rising. .
The gummies in question also contained 25 mg of THC, a very high dose for non-consumers. For reference, the maximum dose of a edible on the legal California market is 10 milligrams of THC, with a limit of 100 mg of THC per package (i.e. 10 doses of 10 mg or 20 doses of 5 mg).
Another area of concern is the issue of transparency of product composition. The Interministerial Mission to Combat Drugs and Addictive Behaviors (Mildeca) noted that a significant proportion of CBD-based products on the French market did not contain what was indicated on the label. 6% of the samples tested also contained neocannabinoids without mentioning them on the packaging, including H4CBD.
This lack of transparency inherent to the absence of regulation, as well as the lack of warnings from sellers, leads to risks for consumers, as shown by the “Secret Santa” incident, where these people thought they were consuming candy. with standard CBD.
How to properly consume edibles for the first time ?
If you want to try legal cannabis-infused edibles, you should buy them from trusted sites that perfectly describe the contents of the gummies. If these contain more than 10 milligrams of THC, then they will be very strong. As always with the ediblesit is better to take 2 to 2 hours apart than to regret having taken 2 at the same time.
You should also know the following things.
How do edibles work?
THE edibles are consumed orally and processed in the stomach and liver, whereas smoked or vaped cannabis enters the lungs to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream. The effects of edibles take much longer to be felt, as they must first be digested and metabolized. This is why they are generally more potent and last longer than smoked or vaporized cannabis.
How long does the effect of edibles last?
Don't expect your space brownie to start working as soon as you swallow it. Due to digestion, the effects of edibles tend to peak 1-2 hours after consumption and dissipate within 2-3 hours, whereas the effects of smoking cannabis tend to peak within 10 minutes and dissipate quickly within 30 to 60 minutes. These are estimates; Individual metabolisms, as well as external factors such as eating your edible on an empty stomach, age and pre-existing conditions, can influence these times.
Edibles may seem potent, but compared to inhaled cannabis, they actually deliver a lower concentration of cannabinoids into the bloodstream. Ingesting edibles only introduces 10 to 20 percent THC and other cannabinoids into the blood plasma, whereas inhaled cannabis reaches a concentration closer to 50 to 60 percent.
Being a cannabis consumer, even in quantity, has no impact on tolerance to edibles; a low dose edible can still knock out even the most experienced canna enthusiast. They will just be more used to the effect but surprises can happen.
What to do in case of unpleasant sensations?
The effects provided by an edible product can be very different from those provided by burning, vaporizing or dabbing. After all, our bodies metabolize them through different systems, and the highs from edibles are the longest-lasting of all consumption methods because THC passes through the liver during digestion, increasing the THC's longevity.
We recommend that you try to stay calm, drink water and distract yourself. You can also try eating a large meal to boost your metabolism or taking CBD to mitigate the effects of edibles. If you can, a nice, long nap can also do the trick.
Most importantly, you don't die from a THC overdose. The effects always pass eventually. It just sometimes takes more time than we would like!
