While popular culture has normalised (to some extent) the idea of edibles, the current medicinal market in Australia is still heavily geared towards cannabis flower and oils. The last year has seen a massive growth in medicinal cannabis edibles, and as always, we are here to break down the options, alongside the pros and cons of going edible.
To clarify, edibles in this context are not brownies, or the infamous Amsterdam space cake, or those hash cookies your obscure uncle bakes in an electric oven from his caravan in the bush. Medicinal cannabis edibles refer to medicinal cannabis products that have been designed and formulated to be taken orally and digested or absorbed under the tongue. Medicinal cannabis edibles exist currently in 2 forms in Australia, as sublingual wafers, and pastilles – more commonly known as gummies.
Sublingual wafers are powdery tablet shaped edibles that are designed to dissolve under the tongue. Their advantage over pastilles is that they do not need to be chewed and so may be easier to take for patients who have trouble with solids and because some absorption occurs under the tongue, their onset of effect may be quicker than other edible forms.
Pastilles, or gummies, are, as the name suggests, soft and chewable flavoured products. In addition to the flavouring, gummies are also sweetened and the active ingredients (mostly THC and/or CBD) are evenly dispersed within a gelatin or pectin core that helps to mask the cannabis aftertaste making them a lot more palatable than other forms of cannabis medicine.
So, now the question remains, why go for an edible form of medicinal cannabis?
- Discreet: Cannabis gummies do not look like medicine and can be carried around anywhere. Patients can take their medication without fear of being asked what and why they are using it.
- Odourless: Unlike cannabis flower, or vape cartridges, there is no cannabis smell with gummies, which adds to their discretion and makes them easier to store and carry around, even in public.
- Convenient and device free: Once the suitable dose is achieved, there is nothing easier than taking your medication as a chewable gummy. No fiddling with syringes or packing expensive vaporiser devices.
- Dexterity friendly: Since there is no need to grind flower and pack vaporisers, or measure and administer the dose with a tiny syringe, edibles become a lot easier to use for people who have limited dexterity due to age, or other factors like arthritis.
- Ease of dosing: Doses are typically in the number of pastilles a patient takes which is much easier to manage, as opposed to an exact millimetre dosage of oil that needs to be measured, or amount of flower to be vaporised and number of inhalations (which can often be inconsistent).
- Taste: Unlike most oil products, gummies come in a variety of flavours and have been sweetened, making them vastly more pleasant-tasting to most patients. Most oil products tend to not be artificially flavoured, and so are not necessarily suitable for people who have serious taste-aversion issues.
- Long-lasting: The most notable advantage of medicated cannabis edibles, is that they have a much longer duration of action than inhaled cannabis. The effects of edibles can last up to 8-10 hours (depending on individual patients’ metabolism and other variables) making them a great option for long-term ongoing symptom relief.
As you can see, there are many advantages to edible cannabis formulations, making them an appropriate dosage form for a variety of different patients. However, it is imperative we are also clear about the disadvantages of using edibles and where they may not be the most appropriate dose forms.
While the duration of effect of edibles is prolonged, their onset of action is delayed compared to inhalable cannabis. Which means that when quick-acting relief is needed, they are not an appropriate dosing form.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the delayed onset can lead to patients taking more than instructed, and once the higher dose takes effect, it may be overwhelming (to say the least). It is extremely important that – just like with all medicine – patients start low and go slow.
If you think edibles are an avenue you wish to explore, then talk to your prescribing doctor about whether or not it is an appropriate dosage form for you.
You can also book a call with one of our nurses to learn more.
