There’s not a dispensary in the land that doesn’t stock their shelves a vast range of edible cannabis treats.
Edibles have come a long way in the last decade or so. Not so long ago, they were the consumption mode of choice of only the most dedicated and inquisitive cannabis users.
One of my very first experiences with cannabis was with a friend who adamantly refused to smoke. Neither of us would call ourselves master chefs, so to save ourselves the mess of making brownies, we decided to crumble three grams of hashish directly into a grilled cheese sandwich. Not the most elegant of delivery methods, but this is just an example of the lack of choice just a few years ago.
Edibles and the rise of the cannabis dispensary
Times have rapidly changed. The cannabis industry continues to go from strength to strength. The rising tide of legalization is sweeping through more and more areas, with four states making the switch in 2020. It’s now estimated that recreational cannabis is available to 1 in 3 Americans, and that number will only rise over the coming years.
Even the outbreak of a global pandemic appears to have had no effect on the cannabis industry, with many states declaring dispensaries and other marijuana-related trades as essential businesses.
All of this means the choices for edible cannabis consumers are more sophisticated and diverse than they have ever been. Dispensaries are stocking mouth-watering sweet and savory options. You can find everything from traditional brownies to cannabis-infused chocolates, gummies, soft drinks, cookies, and much, much more.
As well as food types to suit every palate, edibles come in a wide variety of strengths, from a little relaxing buzz to usher you off to sleep, to super potent brain-melting treats that will have you struggling to string together a sentence. There are Indica based bites, Sativa snacks, edibles that lean further towards THC or CBD, and brands that make their consumables from one particular strain of cannabis.
The options are almost endless. But not all edibles are created equal. While most brands in the cannabis space are honest and following the laws and regulations set down by state legislators, there are a few that have not been so watertight. Businesses have been fined for not testing their products’ strength and selling edibles with dosages that do not match what is advertised on the packaging.
To help separate the bud from the shake, we’ve handpicked a few tried and trusted edibles to help you put your mind at ease when it comes to selecting delectable cannabis edibles.
Sweet June’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let’s start with a classic; the much-loved weed cookie. Cannabis growers Smokey Point Productions unveiled their new lines of edibles in 2018. June’s Edibles stock everything from Jalapeno Pretzels to Blood Orange gummies. Based in Arlington, WA, Smokey Point grows their own cannabis, which gives a stamp of reliability and quality to the edibles they produce.
Each rich and chocolatey cookie is packed with 10mg of THC, so they won’t push you too far, but each bag contains 25 pieces, so the option is there if you wish to magnify your high. These treats will affect your mind and body equally, resulting in a mellow and euphoric high.
The 4.20 Bar 1:1 Chocolate Bars
From out of Venice Beach, California, The Venice Cookie Company started like all great brands – in the garage of a passionate businessman. VCC creates all kinds of plant-based products, focusing on health and wellbeing, but they’ve embraced their indulgent side with this rich and creamy milk chocolate bar.
With equal parts CBD and THC, the 4.20 bars live up to VCC’s health-conscious goals and are made with all-natural ingredients – not a trace of an e-number or preservative in sight. If you find the earthy flavor of some cannabis-infused edibles a touch too powerful, the rich and velvety taste of this high-quality chocolate goes a long way to cover it up.
Containing ten individually wrapped bars, each with 10mg of both THC and CBD, they are perfect for those with a sweet tooth who like to consume their edibles on the go. They’re also great for melting down and concocting your own DIY chocolatey treats.
Journeyman Tropical THC Jellies
Weed brownies, sometimes known as space cakes, may be the first thing that comes to your mind when you are thinking of eating your way to a high, but gummies and jellies are fast becoming the most popular form of edibles.
Packed full of fruity flavor, Journeyman’s Tropical Jellies are sweet, potent, and discreet – it’s easy to see why this form of consumption is so popular. Journeyman draws from the psychedelic imagery of 60’s flower power for their branding, and their logo is a Simpsons-like couch adorned with bright hippie colors and patterns – indicative of the (very static) journey that their edibles can take you on.
Gluten-free, vegan, and made with all-natural products, these jellies tick all the right boxes. Their multipacks contain ten sweet and tangy pineapple, passionfruit, and mango-flavored treats, each brimming with 10mg of THC.
Mr Moxey’s Indica Cinnamon Mints
The great thing about edibles is how easy and discreet they are to consume. Although cannabis is legal in 15 states, it is still illegal to consume marijuana in public in most jurisdictions. Although it can still land you in a spot of bother with Jonny law, many people are turning to edibles as a way to remain high while out and about.
Mr. Moxey’s Mints are about as inconspicuous as they come. Packaged in old-timey mint tins and branded just the same, it would be easy to confuse these with your grandad’s old Fishermans Friends (remember those?)
However, don’t be fooled by Mr. Moxey’s quaint and charming throwback tin design. These tiny mint drops pack a punch; take a few of these bad boys and you’ll be walking and talking at the same pace as your grandad. Handcrafted in Seattle, each warming cinnamon mint contains 5mg of THC. You can also grab these in ginger, lavender, and peppermint flavor, and switch up the THC for CBD if that’s your bag, baby.
Ceres Dragon Balls
Super Saiyan spice with a cannabis kick. ‘Get ready to grab this dragon by the balls’ is the ambitious tagline of these flaming hot treats from Ceres Garden. Flavorsome caramel balls, coated in luxury Belgian chocolate, combined with the infamous Ghost Pepper Chili, separate these edibles from the usual flavors available on the market.
Chili-flavored chocolate is a trend that has been gracing the shelves of artisan market stalls and left-field chocolatiers for some time. Despite the bizarre-sounding match-up, the flavors work surprisingly well together, and these edibles are no exception.
Hailing from Washington state, Ceres really thought outside the box with this one. Made from 100% organic chocolate, these spicy little devils come in bags of ten, weighing in at 10mg of THC per portion. One dose will deliver a smooth, bodily high that becomes increasingly cerebral the more you munch. ‘You’ll love our balls,’ claims Dragon Ball’s outlandish packaging. No comment.
Lori’s Roasted Garlic Potato Chips
The edibles market is primarily dominated by the sweet, the sugary, and the chocolatey. A gap exists for savory Sativa snacks, which Craft Elixirs is filling with their line of cannabis-infused potato chips. Roasted Garlic isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of edibles, but for those out there lacking a sweet tooth, Lori’s has your back.
Available in a Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper flavor, as well as Sweet Potato, Lori’s Potato Chips are perfect for micro-dosing, or you can go ahead and macro-dose and demolish the whole bag. Ideal for throwing in a packed lunch on days out or adding a bit of oomph to a sandwich at home, these savory delights have 10mg of THC in each bag.
Like many top edibles brands, the chips are made from organic ingredients, are suitable for vegans, and are 100% gluten-free. Garlic and cannabis is far from a classic combination, but once you’ve tried Ghost Chill chocolate dragon balls, I think all boundaries have been well and truly broken.
Sweet June’s Jalapeno Ranch Pretzels
Sticking with savory and spicy for a second, we have another pick from Smokey Point Productions’ Sweet June range. The spicy kick comes in a slightly more conventional style this time, in the form of the much-loved American snack – the pretzel.
Salted, twisted, dusted with jalapeno seasoning, and infused with cannabis, these moorish bites pack a little more punch than Lori’s potato chips. Each pretzel contains 10mg of THC and with ten pieces per bag, be prepared to get as twisted as the pretzels themselves if you devour your way through the whole packet.
Like all edibles, the effects take a little bit of time to kick in, anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours, so be sure to measure yourself as best you can against the moreishness of salt cravings.
Pioneer Squares – Lemon Mandarin Fruit Noms
Another selection from Seattle-based, small-batch producers, Craft Elixirs. This time from their Pioneer Square line of chewable cannabis gummies. Named after the original heart of Seattle, first populated by intrepid settlers in 1852, Pioneer Square is now a hip and trendy quarter of the city, home to wine bars, art galleries, and – you guessed it – cannabis dispensaries.
Vegan, kosher, gluten-free, and topped with real fruit pieces, these sour sensations are a real treat for the tastebuds. Infused with 100% pure hash oil produced from non-GMO grows, Pioneer Squares have a taste that is as clean as the high they deliver.
If gummies are your thing, Pioneer Squares are your new go-to. You can grab the THC-infused candies in a whole host of flavors, including sour cherry, black and blueberry, and pineapple crush. They also have a range of CBD-only Squares in equally mouth-watering fruity varieties.
Dank Indica Chocolate Syrup
It would be practically criminal if we talked about Craft Elixirs without mentioning their Dank Chocolate Syrup range. With so many cannabis growers and producers on the market, every corner of the edibles market has been covered.
The hot new trend when it comes to cannabis products is cannabis-infused ingredients. Cannabis-infused ingredients put the power in the hands of the consumer, and the possibilities of what you can make in the comfort of your own kitchen are seemingly endless.
Dank Chocolate comes infused with CBD, Indica, or Sativa, and you can enjoy it drizzled over pancakes, ice cream, a bowl of cereal, or you can just cut all pretenses and guzzle it straight out of the bottle. The Craft Elixir website recommends that you measure the syrup out by the capful, but who are they trying to kid here?
Know Your Dosage
So, there it is. You now have a good idea of some of the tastiest, most luxurious, and downright strange edibles out there. There’s something out there for everyone, whether you want to pop a quick mint, feel chocolate melt slowly in your mouth, or suck down a couple of dragon’s balls.
The only thing left to say is to know your dosage. If you’re an experienced and seasoned cannabis consumer, you can skip this part and take a double shot of Dank Chocolate Syrup straight to the head, but for those new to the game, it’s always better to err on the side of caution.
Most of the edibles listed here have 10mg of THC per portion, which is a low dose suitable for most beginners. If you are a complete newbie and feeling extra cautious, try out half a dose and see how you feel.
The one thing to bear in mind, which catches out the experienced and inexperienced just the same, is the delayed effect of edibles compared to smoking cannabis. Edibles can take anywhere up to two hours to hit, and many an inpatient soul has taken this to mean that edibles simply aren’t strong enough and chomp down another two doses only to feel a triple dose hit them later on.
Be sensible, be safe, be patient, and give it a few hours before you take another bite. Other than this sage advice, the adventure is all yours! Have fun! And make sure you’ve got plenty of non-cannabis snacks at hand for the inevitable munchies.