Smoking Weed vs. Eating Cannabis: What’s the Difference?

Smoking or sipping? Toking or tasting? Which is better when it comes to cannabis, and what’s the actual difference? Before we get into it, it’s important to understand that there absolutely, positively, 100% is a difference. A big difference.

Everyone has their preferences, and the two delivery methods cater to different situations. But here’s an overview of inhaling versus eating cannabis, and what each method offers you (or makes you endure).

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What’s Going on In Your Body?

First, let’s understand how THC gets into your body. This is where all the differences between the two delivery methods truly begin

Eating: When you ingest THC, whether it’s a drink or brownie or gummy, the Delta-9 THC has to pass through your liver. When it does, it converts into 11-hydroxy-THC, which is a much more potent form of THC. Then, it enters your bloodstream.

Inhaling: When you inhale THC, it travels through your lungs into your alveoli, which transfers the THC directly into your bloodstream. It skips over your digestive system completely, going right for your blood.

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How Fast the High Hits

Based on the info above, you can probably guess which is going to hit you faster, but I’ll explain it anyway.

Eating: Since the THC from an edible has to make it alllll the way through your digestive system before it can get you high, it’s going to take a while. The onset depends on the type of edible you take, as simple carbs and nano THC can be processed faster, while high-fat and high-protein edibles take longer. Expect to feel high within 20-120 minutes after eating an edible.

Inhaling: THC reaches your bloodstream within seconds if you inhale, so that high can hit you immediately. Some people experience a more delayed high, but no more than five or 10 minutes, and even that’s an unusual stretch.

This is one of the points that causes people to choose inhalation over ingestion. You don’t have to wait around for the good feels when you smoke; they hit you almost instantaneously. It’s also more predictable, as edibles can feel like a guessing game.

When You Reach the Peak

Eating: With most edibles, you hit your peak around the four-hour mark, but this can vary drastically depending on the edible and initial onset. If the high hits early, after just 30 minutes, you could peak around two hours.

Inhaling: When you smoke, you reach your peak much earlier. Some people may find their highest point after just 15 minutes, while others may hit the peak after 30 minutes.

People tend to be divided on which peak timing is better. The delayed peak form of edibles makes them wonderful for things like plane rides, concerts, and other situations where you need a high that lasts. But that requires some planning ahead, and also makes it hard to gauge your high off the bat. You might end up way higher than you intended, especially if you upped your dose because you didn’t feel very high at first.

If you hit a joint a couple of times and feel uncomfortably high, all you have to do is stop, and the peak will be over in less than an hour. And you’ll probably feel better within two hours. If you get uncomfortably high off edibles, you’re already in it, and you can’t stop it. The high could keep climbing, even if you don’t want it to. That’s why accidental overconsumption is more common with edibles than inhalants.

When It’s All Over

Eating: The high from an edible can last up to 12 hours, but usually it’s more like six to eight. Some people might feel groggy or off for a full 24 hours after, especially if they have no tolerance.

Inhaling: Again, the high from inhaling will be over faster. Some might feel high for up to six hours, but that’s kind of an extreme. Usually, you’ll only feel high for two to three hours. You may feel sleepy or just generally depleted for up to 24 hours, but for regular users, that’s uncommon.

Imagine that you get higher than you planned. If it was off an edible, you have a long road ahead of you, and you can’t get off the bus. You’re sort of stuck. If you’re smoking, it’s a much shorter road trip to endure.

On the other hand, if you want that long, strong high, edibles will keep you toasted for much longer. With inhalants, you have to keep smoking to maintain the high for several hours.

The High From Different Deliveries

The actual effects, not just the potency or duration, also vary. However, it’s hard to define the different highs rigidly. Smoking an indica strain won’t feel the same as smoking a sativa strain. And eating a brownie won’t always feel the same as eating a gummy. Take these differences with a grain of salt:

Eating: Edibles often create a stronger body high and a sleepier vibe, but some can be energizing if they contain cannabinoids like CBG.

Inhaling: The strain will determine the high more than anything, but smoking tends to create more of a head high.

Outward Appearances

Eating: Obviously, edibles are the more discreet form of THC. You can pop up a gummy in your mouth, sip on an innocuous-looking seltzer, or munch on a brownie, with no one being the wiser. However, bloodshot eyes, squinty eyes, and slowed reactions could still give you away.

Inhaling: Inhalants are much harder to hide. You’re creating smoke, and even if it’s vaporized, it’s still visible and smelly. Personally, inhalants don’t make me look as high as edibles, but that’s not true for everyone.

If you want to be lowkey about getting high, edibles are for sure the better choice.

Which Is Better for You?

It’s hard to say. Obviously, inhaling cannabis can damage your lungs, but there’s recent research that shows that edibles aren’t 100% harmless. We need way more research to fully understand how THC and other cannabis compounds impact our health, so I can’t claim that one is definitively healthier than the other.

THC Takeaways

A huge thing to note is that edibles are often much stronger than inhalants. It’s easier to overdo it and put yourself in a bad place, so always proceed with caution.

But inhalants come with their own set of stigmas and inconveniences, including their lack of stealth and their soon-subsiding effects. I recommend you try both when you can, and see which suits you better. And I have some options for you…