Nowadays, you have a plethora of options in terms of consuming cannabis. However, do you know which method works best for you? Oftentimes, people are caught in the debate between edibles vs smoking that creates more confusion.
Because of this, the cannabis community stands divided because of this issue. However, many people found common ground to agree about this because it boils down to your personal preference. If you are into ingesting cannabis through edibles, then so be it, or if you love smoking it, then it is your personal choice.
However, there are still a lot of cannabis consumers out there that need a valid explanation about this issue. The other ways to get high with your cannabis are always available; however, consuming it either through edible or smoking are the two main ways that people enjoy cannabis.
Edibles vs Smoking? Which is Better?
So, what sets edibles and smoking cannabis apart from each other? To give you a thorough explanation, let us discover the differences between edibles and smoking cannabis so that you’ll further analyze which one fits your wants and needs.
Which has a Higher Potency?
Generally, people will always ask which has a higher potency between edibles and smoking while there are some seasoned stoners and connoisseurs that want to test their limits so that they will find out the utmost high, while there are some who want to gain more control over their high. Experts say that edibles are more potent than smoking. This is because an ingested cannabis, almost the entire THC amount on the edible, is converted into a more potent substance of THC, which is faster to be transmitted into the brain compared to regular smoking. However, if you prefer smoking cannabis, a lot of stoners agree that you will get stoned when you use gravity bongs because of the thick smoke made up of the pure good stuff of cannabis that will knock you out for good. In terms of potency, edibles and smoking have their strengths and weaknesses, which makes them relatively equal to each other.
Which one gives you more control?
Having a bad weed trip is inevitable; you just cannot predict when it will strike and ruin your experience. There are instances that your high will take you to a bumpy road. Because of this, a lot of stoners out there want to gain more control over their experience and high. It has been known that ingesting edible cannabis will take a longer time for its effects to set compared to smoking. Edibles take a lot of time to take its effects. However, it lasts longer, and sometimes it can be overwhelming. However, there’s a huge difference between cannabis smoking. You can control its high because you are inhaling it through smoking. Thus you control the hits, and you can stop it whenever you feel overwhelmed already. You can take a break whenever the sensation begins to set it compared to edibles wherein the deciding factor of the high will only be determined if it’s already taken its effects. However, if you’re planning to consume edibles, you should start small so that you can determine your limitations.
Which has a higher risk to your health?
Of course, people will automatically choose smoking cannabis will put their health at risk since smoking has been associated with respiratory problems before. Smoking does not just harm your respiratory system; however, it will also put your heart at risk. Regarding this debate, always consider your health and your well-being because long-term smoking is dangerous to your health. For this part, cannabis edibles gained the upper hand. However, you can still certainly enjoy smoking. Just take it moderately. Before you celebrate just because edibles are better than smoking in this part, you have to be aware that there is also overdosing or edible hangovers, which is still bad for your health.
Which one has better benefits for your health?
So, which between smoking or ingesting weed has more health benefits? Of course, smoking can never be a healthy choice. That is why edibles were made as the best alternative to smoking, which is the original way to consume cannabis. However, that does not mean that you cannot enjoy cannabis through smoking since there’s vaping where it contains less harmful substances than rolling a joint. However, technically, edibles are always a safer choice to enjoy and reap the benefits of cannabis. Also, in the medical cannabis industry, health experts manufacture them as edibles for people to consume for therapeutic purposes. A person who is suffering from muscle pains or seizures but has asthma can’t smoke cannabis to enjoy its medicinal benefits. Thus there are edibles that they can ingest without any complications. To add more, edibles can be mixed either with your food or drinks so that you’ll further enjoy their benefits.
Which one provides a better state?
One of the qualities cannabis consumers always seek is taste. So, taste is always an important consideration. In terms of taste, edibles are always the top choice since it is being incorporated into food and beverages. However, in the cannabis world, if you’re a real stoner, you always prefer the aromatic and herby taste of smoking weed. Also, cannabis connoisseurs prefer smoking to taste the flavor and aroma of weed. In the end, it’s all about personal choice and preferences when it comes to determining the flavor of weed.
Which one provides you a better smell?
Since the original way to consume weed is through smoking, then inhaling it to determine if it has a good aromatic smell or not is still the best way to enjoy it compared to edibles. However, as cannabis continues to expand its reach to ordinary people, some prefer to get rid of the aromatic smell of cannabis, that is why they prefer essential oils that are already mixed with scented herbs. The smell of the smoke coming from cannabis always plays a vital role in determining the quality of the weed.
Which one is cost-effective?
People will always consider the cost of consuming cannabis, whether it is smoked or it is ingested. For people who prefer smoking, they have to purchase a smoking device like pipes, or bongs, and rolling papers to enjoy cannabis. Edibles meanwhile also require several ingredients if you’re planning to make one in your home. When choosing between edibles vs smoking, the cost of it is very relevant to each other. So, in the end, it all boils down to your personal choice. There are already manufactured edibles you can purchase as pre-rolled joints at dispensaries, and its prices are pretty much the same.
Which one has better and wider options?
Nowadays, cannabis products continue to pour into the market as the world increasingly legalizes them. Edibles can now be enjoyed as a food or beverage, and you can select tons of products available in the market. However, that does not mean that smokable cannabis has no wider options. Over the years, cannabis cultivators and experts continue to cross-breed different strains to come up with a hybrid to provide cannabis that has better quality than the other. If you happen to get a chance to visit a dispensary, you will surely be overwhelmed by the wide array of choices of strains you can smoke.
Which one is always available?
Currently, both edible and smokable cannabis is widely available either online or at a dispensary. However, certain parts of the world or at certain States in the US has limited availability of cannabis products since it’s not yet been fully legalized. Mostly, in these places, only cannabis products that are used for therapeutic purposes are available. However, for places where recreational and medical cannabis are both legal, you will surely get plenty of supply, both edible and smokable cannabis. The availability and supply of cannabis depend on your current location.
Which one requires more effort to make?
Regarding this matter, growing weed takes a lot of time, effort, and resources so that you can yield a good-quality harvest. However, growing weed, harvesting it, and manufacturing it to different products require more effort, so, smoking weed gains the upper hand for this one. This is because edibles require a lot of processes to manufacture a particular product, unlike smoking weed wherein you just have to dry it and cure it, and afterward, you can enjoy it without adding hassle.
Final Words
Now that you’re done reading the entire article, which one do you believe won between edibles and smoking? In the end, it’s all about personal choice. You cannot force people to choose cannabis smoking over edibles, and this cannot work the other way around as well. If you learn the differences between edibles vs smoking, you will realize that both should not be compared to each other, but rather provide you with more knowledge to determine which is best for you. There are no rules or restrictions to smoke and ingest weed, so why not enjoy both?
