PUFF We all have had that fear. Being clueless at a party and eating two brownies only to find out they are medicated, and your near future entails a lot of staring off into the distance alone in a dark room, far away from the fun.
Edibles have a reputation for being unpredictable and strong if you aren’t careful how much you eat. You are dealing with not only the dose and strength, but also what and how much was in your stomach beforehand, how long ago you ate, if you are active or not… The list goes on. It is the one way of taking cannabis that depends on a lot more than if it is an indica or sativa.
As Prop 64 dawns in California, the most affected form of marijuana consumption is (drumroll) the edible! No longer may edibles look like anything that will appeal to children, so no more gummies or candy. Labeling can not appeal to children. They must be in a child-proof container. (Which we all know kids can open better than adults, Duh!)
As for dosage, edibles may be no stronger than 10mg each—which is sad because I loved those 20mg BREEZ mints. Two of those, snacks, and a movie are a great date. So now I gotta eat 4, twist my arm! In keeping with the idea of microdosing, all this is fine. You just have to rejigger your dose, and you’ll probably end up paying more for the same high.
The size of packaging is topped off at 100mg which according to many is too low for medicinal users.
“It is kind of offensive and a punishment to our most seriously ill patients who have very high tolerances and need a high dose,” said Debby Goldsberry, director of Magnolia Wellness, a dispensary and community center in Oakland, in a recent Leafly article. “I think regulators didn’t spend enough time looking at the needs of the most critically ill members, because this regulation is going to harm them. We need regulations that are going to support them. We need to flip this regulation completely.”
Another article in the Higher Path cites the Canna Law Blog: “California will also not be allowing cannabis-infused alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine products and cannabis products won’t be able to be made of ‘potentially hazardous food.’ Potentially hazardous food is essentially any food ‘capable of supporting the growth of infectious of toxigenic microorganisms when held at temperatures above 41 degrees Fahrenheit.’ So if it has to be kept at under 41 degrees Fahrenheit or is a dairy or meat product, its a no-go. (Say it ain’t so, infused ice cream!)”Â
So no weed booze, weed caffeinated sodas, teas or coffees, or weed ice cream. Boo!
I prepared myself and have several large-dose brownies and cookies in my freezer (some ice cream too!). It’s not that I eat a lot of large dose edibles on a regular basis, but I kinda got swept up in the “You can’t tell me what to do” sentiment and went on a spending spree at the Emerald Cup.
Of course, all this is meant to protect the recreational consumer. This is a brave new marijuana world and the rec weed creators will need to catch up to what the medicinal marijuana community has known for years. They just have to learn to play together better and hopefully there will be changes made soon to sort it all out.
Again, that fear of the toxic brownie at the party lives on!
It’s time to light up!
