Cannabis edibles are on the rise as the legal market continues to make its way across the nation. Of all the options available – from infused beverages to cannabis pizza sauce – nothing hits quite like the weed gummy.
What are weed gummies, exactly? How does one get the most benefits from them, and can you really make your own at home?
What Are Weed Gummies?
Aside from brownies, weed gummies are one of the most popular cannabis edibles on the market. They’re colorful, flavorful, and tend to carry a higher content of THC – or at least it feels that way when you’re indulging.
Weed gummies are also easy to eat quickly, instead of having to commit to a larger brownie, cookie, or beverage. This is especially important if you’re easily put off by the taste of cannabis. While most edibles on the market today are crafted so that you can barely taste the weed, some of them still have a pretty hefty flowery flavor, which can make it a bit difficult to consume if you’re sensitive.
Gummies also tend to have a lower calorie content than other cannabis-infused sweets, which is great if you’re not exactly hungry, but in the mood for an edible infusion. Gummies pack much more of a punch in a much smaller radius.
Additionally, weed gummies have a much longer shelf life than most edibles on the market. In general, gummy candies last a lot longer than baked goods, and the same applies for infused treats. If you like to keep an edible around for a rainy day, a weed gummy is the optimal choice.
How to Consume Weed Gummies?
When consuming weed gummies, there’s a lot to consider, especially if it’s your first time. Since edibles affect your body more intensely than smoking and the high tends to last a lot longer, you want to make sure you have all of the resources you need for a safe and enjoyable time.
- Go “low and slow.” When consuming edibles, it’s important to always start low and slow. If you’re unsure of your limit, we suggest 5mg of THC, which often amounts to half of a gummy (be sure to check package labeling for precise dosage measurements). Then wait at least two hours before reassessing.
- Make sure you’re in a safe environment. Edibles can take a lot longer to kick in than the rapid effects of smoking, but once they hit, they hit with full force, depending on dosage. Make sure you’re in a safe, familiar environment and always practice caution to avoid a negative experience, especially if it’s your first time.
Try to avoid big crowds or events if you can – if you can indulge at home or at a trusted friend’s home, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable and in control of the situation.
- Surround yourself with people you trust. Taking an edible can be rather overwhelming, and much more so if you’re with strangers or people you don’t know too closely.
Too much of an edible can cause you to experience paranoia, so if you’re unsure of your limit or how you might be affected, it’s best to make sure you’re surrounded by friends who you trust, preferably those who are already experienced with taking edibles.
- Set aside time for yourself. If you’re dabbling with edibles for the first time, you want to make sure you don’t have any important obligations the rest of the day. Once you know your limit and how your body normally reacts, you can reassess and even incorporate weed gummies into your daily life if it suits you, but there’s definitely a learning curve here.
Try and make sure you don’t have any work responsibilities or chores looming – this will fuel that paranoia mentioned earlier, and you want to eliminate any unnecessary stress around the experience.
- Relax and let go. This sounds like a given, but it can be too easy to spiral into a paranoid state of anxiety if you’re not properly prepared for the edible experience and you take too much (it happens).
Edibles are very powerful, and if you do become uncomfortable it simply means you took too large of a dose, and you need to take less next time.
No matter how intense it might feel during an edible ‘overdose’, the high will be over at some point and you will be okay. Crawl into bed or put on a movie; try to relax and distract yourself. This can happen to cannabis consumers of all experience levels, and it takes a little practice.
How to Make Weed Gummies?
Now that you’re convinced how elite weed gummies are, let’s learn how to make them. Making weed gummies at home is surprisingly simple, especially if you already have a jar of cannabis-infused coconut oil on deck.
If not, make sure to do so before you start on the weed gummies. Once that’s out of the way, it’s as simple as blending a few ingredients and practicing a whole lot of patience.
That being said, let’s get cooking!
Ingredients (makes 72 gummies):
- 1 pack of jello (your flavor of choice)
- 2 tablespoons of gelatin
- 2 teaspoons of soy lecithin
- ½ cup of cannabis-infused coconut oil
- 1 ¾ cup of water
- Gummy mold
Steps:
- Heat a medium-sized saucepan on the stove over low-medium heat. Combine the coconut oil, soy lecithin and ¾ cup of the water. Stir until well-blended.
- In a separate bowl, combine the gelatine and 1 cup of remaining water, boiled. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Once combined, add the jello package and whisk until combined.
- Add the gelatin/jello mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Continue whisking for about six minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to stop from over/under-boiling.
- Remove from heat, allowing the mixture to cool slightly before pouring into the gummy mold.
- Allow your gummies to cool at room temperature for at least two hours.
- Once the gummies are thoroughly cooled, remove them from the mold and allow to air dry for 48-60 hours. Expect them to shrink slightly.
Pretty simple, right?
Alternative Edible Options
If you’re into the idea of edibles but just can’t jump on the gummy train, you’re not alone, and there are other options for you. Here are some other, less conventional edibles you might want to try, based on your taste and preferences:
- Cannabis-Infused Beverages: From cannabis-infused sparkling waters and teas to nonalcoholic beers and wines, there are plenty of ways to sip on your greens, depending on what vibe you’re going for. Some are infused with THC, CBD, or a combination of the two, so whether you’re looking to catch a light buzz or get absolutely faded, there are plenty of options.
The only downside to cannabis-infused beverages is the timeliness of it all. Once you crack one open, you pretty much have to finish it on the spot – especially if you’re sipping on a fizzy water or tonic that’s likely to go flat in a few hours.
- Cannabis-Infused Chocolate: This isn’t very unconventional (re: OG pot brownies), but the exciting thing about cannabis-infused chocolate is how many different shapes, sizes, and textures it comes in these days. From bon bons to truffles to chocolate-covered pretzels to tried and true chocolate bars, chocolate cannabis makers have certainly gotten creative.
If gummies are just too sweet (or too sour) for your liking but you’re crazy about chocolate, these infused confections are ideal. They also last longer than beverages, although not as long as gummies. Chocolates also run the risk of melting if exposed to heat, so make sure to store your chocolate edibles in a cool, dry setting.
- Cannabis-Infused Savory Snacks: If you’re not into sweets at all but definitely want to eat your cannabis, the infused savory snack game is constantly innovating and evolving. One of the most popular savory infusions of the moment is weed popcorn. Some brands infuse the cannabis right into the kernels, so you can pop a fresh bag at home and relax for the evening.
As mentioned earlier, cannabis culinary creators have basically infused the plant into anything you can think of at this point, but some noteworthy snacks include: cannabis-infused nuts, chex mix, jerky, or potato chips.
- Cannabis-Infused Condiments: Cannabis-infused snacks are great if you want to catch a small buzz, but there are also plenty of options for infusing an entire meal. While cooking with your infused coconut oil is easy enough and can turn any creation hazy, there are plenty of other infused options to spice up your meal.
Infused pizza sauces, other cooking bases like olive oil or cannabutter, dipping sauces like ketchup, mustard, or honey, salad dressings, gravy, syrup, tahini, fondue...the list goes on and on and on.
Infused condiments are ideal for controlling your intake – simply use less sauce, oil, etc., or substitute some of the mixture with the non-infused version to weaken the THC. Alternatively, you can double down, invite some friends over for a weed-friendly dinner, and have an amazing time – just make sure none of you are driving anywhere stoned for the evening.
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