Cannabis drinks are available in a wide variety of styles, including beer, wine, soda, tea, coffee, kombucha, tincture and even water. The THC, CBD, CBN and CBC concentrations of the drinks vary depending on the individual product and its manufacturer. Cannabis beverages generally have an onset time of 30 minutes or less due to the body’s rapid absorption of liquid. With cannabis drinks, cannabinoids like CBD and THC are absorbed into the bloodstream through the mouth and stomach. This means you don’t have to wait as long for the drink to be digested to start feeling the effects, decreasing the chance that you might ingest too much.

Cannabis edibles are also available in many varieties, although edibles traditionally have been created in the form of sweet snacks like cookies, edible weed gummies, cereal bars, chocolate bars, truffles, and suckers. Consumers absorb the active cannabinoids as they digest the edible in the stomach and intestines. Then, the cannabinoids like THC have to be metabolized in the liver. This additional step means that edibles can take anywhere from 45 minutes to three hours to take effect after consuming them. However, the effects of edibles are strong and last much longer than smoking or vaping. (Edible highs generally last somewhere between three and six hours.)

Cannabis Drinks vs. Cannabis Edibles: Which is Best for You?

Every consumer is different, and your needs may be different than your BFF’s when it comes to your high. Many people need a long-lasting effect in order to combat intense medical symptoms, while others prefer a shorter high to help them move forward with their day or night and get things done without couchlock or munchies. When comparing cannabis beverages to traditional edibles, some key things are worth considering:

1. Consumption Method:cannabis

Cannabis edibles are cannabis products you have to eat. That means you will be using your mouth and teeth and consuming calories. Most of you are probably like, “Ummm, yeah… so?,” but for some people those things are important details to consider. Whereas with cannabis infused drinks, you most likely won’t get as many calories, you don’t have to chew anything, and the effects will start faster.

2. Onset Time:

When you eat cannabis in the form of an edible, the THC from the cannabis oil is absorbed by your stomach and intestine. It goes through a digestion process before it is absorbed into the bloodstream. If you’re drinking THC-infused water or soda, the cannabinoids in the drink get absorbed through your mouth (sublingually) and through your digestive system, too, so they quickly enter your bloodstream once they hit the lining of the mouth and then the stomach. Much like an alcoholic beverage, the effects of cannabis in a drink hit quicker because they don’t require the digestive breakdown process that edibles do.

3. Duration of Effects:

As we’ve previously stated, drinking a cannabis beverage produces a quicker uptake, meaning you’ll feel the effects of the cannabinoids sooner. When it comes to cannadrinks, the duration of the effects largely depends on how many milligrams of THC you consumed. A few milligrams of THC may only offer a slight buzz for an hour, whereas 10-20 milligrams may have you stoned for several hours. Generally speaking, the sooner the buzz begins, the sooner the buzz ends, but this is part of the appeal of cannabis drinks. The idea is that you sip an infused drink slowly, as opposed to eating a whole edible at once. This offers a slow come-up and easy come-down as the cannabinoids begin to take effect. On the other hand, edibles such as cannabis-infused baked goods, weed gummies and chocolates need to be fully digested for absorption to begin, which is why it can take up to four hours to start to feel the full effect and up to eight hours for the effects to wear off.

4. Dosing:

Even though both forms of consumption are effective, if you eat or drink too much of either type, you will experience some aversions. Beverages infused with THC or CBD have a quicker uptake than traditional edible weed candy, but the potency of traditional cannabis edibles is more pronounced. This means your dosage of the two should not be the same. Fast-acting effects (like in drinks) are convenient but need to be properly regulated to avoid overconsumption. Every person’s needs are different, and it’s important to take your specific needs into consideration before imbibing.

5. Taste and Social Experience:

With traditional edible marijuana, the cannabinoids are most often concentrated in a fat of some kind—oil or butter, which limits the ability to fine tune the taste of the edible. With weed drinks, the cannabis taste is almost always indiscernible, so you can truly customize the flavor and enjoy the drink without it tasting like herbs and dirt. Also, unlike smoking a joint or vaping, you do not need to step outside the party to enjoy your cannabis. With cannabis drinks, you can stay inside the party, join in the toasts, keep the conversations going and share in all the good times.

6. Portability and Convenience:

Cannabis edibles and beverages are both easily portable and convenient, much more so than flowers or vapes. But, choosing which type of product is most convenient is really a matter of personal preference and the particular situation.

Health Benefits of Cannabis Drinks and Edibles

Cannabis-infused drinks and edibles offer a variety of health benefits to those interested in imbibing that way—they can help relieve pain and anxiety, reduce nausea and induce appetite, alleviate discomfort due to inflammation, and improve quality of sleep. They are also very high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber, depending on which form of consumption you choose.

Which One is Better — Cannabis Drinks or Cannabis Edibles?

Choosing the best products and dosages is nonlinear and definitely not the same for everyone; it depends on a number of key factors. Before choosing whether to enjoy the best weed drink or edible, you want to consider the specifics of the consumer—YOU. You need to be aware of your own tolerance for cannabis, how fast or slow you want to consume your cannabis, your diet and overall health, and any medical symptoms you want to address with your cannabis. In other words, you need to consider what your goals are for ingesting the cannabis product while also understanding your body’s limitations.

Drink Your Weed and Get High with Zen Cannabis

There are so many cannabis drinks on the market, with more appearing every day. Feel free to try as many as you like, but make sure to vet the manufacturer and ingredients to ensure high-quality products. Not all companies are created equally. Zen Cannabis is the #1 cannabis edibles brand in the market for a reason—Zen Cannabis starts with super high-quality cannabis, uses the most up-to-date technology to extract the full spectrum of cannabinoids for their marijuana drinks, and offers a variety of flavors and potencies so you can truly customize your own cannabis concoction to meet your needs. Contact your favorite local dispensary for product availability.