Edible or Drinkable?

When you think of edibles you probably think of a few things: a plate of pot brownies doled out after dinner; an infused chocolate bar; a cosmic gummy bear. If you are new to cannabis, you can be forgiven for assuming that’s all you’ll find when you hit the dispensary.

Think again!

The edibles of the future are not just edibles, but a whole range of products, from tinctures you drop under your tongue, to infused sugar packets you add to your tea, to canned beverages and beyond. (Drinkables, as a term, has been used a bit, but has never really caught on with users.)

The technology behind infusion has come a long way since the days of simmering a stick of butter and a bunch of shwag over the stove with all your windows open — which let’s be honest, stinks — and these days the idea of what an edible is has been turned on its head.

Why use the term, then? Whether you’re talking about a drink, a brownie, or an infused protein bar, saying ‘edible’ helps distinguish it from the more conventional smokeable products. That’s important, since by the time the THC hits your bloodstream, products that go through the stomach and the liver, and not the lungs, may produce a slightly different version of THC (11-hydroxy-THC, if you want to get all technical with it) than a joint (∆9-THC, by comparison). A lot of people think THC is THC is THC — but tell that to anyone who’s had a really good edible before. That enigmatic, long-lasting, full-body high is what edibles are all about. If you know, you know.

The good news for anyone who’s turned off at the idea of eating a huge brownie to get it is that drinkable cannabis goes through the same physical processes as it would if you had eaten it — meaning those low-calorie, low-sugar drinks can take you to the same place as a classic space cake. Next time someone asks you if you want an edible, you can ask: ‘on a plate or in a glass?’