Since becoming legal in Canada in 2019, cannabis-infused drinks have rapidly gained popularity. Common brands of cannabis-infused drinks include Cann®, Keef®, and Artet®. While current possession regulations mean Canadian connoisseurs can only have about five cans of prepared drinks at a time, you can make your own using emulsions, syrups, tinctures, or other products.
What’s A Cannabis-Infused Drink?
A cannabis-infused drink is any beverage, whether alcoholic or not, that contains a concentrated liquid made with cannabis.
Jamie Evans, “The Herb Somm,” has written a book about ways to infuse drinks with cannabis. She likes to make simple syrup with cannabis flowers. She also uses bitters, another alcoholic drink accessory, to infuse cannabis.
If you don’t feel like making your own simple syrup or bitters infused with cannabis, you can purchase items to mix in your drinks at a dispensary.
In addition, if you have the equipment, you may be able to make a cannabis emulsion at home, according to one emulsion expert.
Dr. Harold Han, President and Chief Science Officer of the emulsion infusion company Vertosa, has created a home recipe for a weed emulsion using an oil-based cannabis tincture.
He recommends mixing the emulsion into beer or coffee.
Why Would You Infuse A Drink With Cannabis?
There are plenty of good reasons you might be interested in making your own cannabis-infused drinks.
Here are a few:
- If you don’t like alcohol and its effects
- If you don’t like inhaling methods for cannabis
- You want to get high more quickly than edibles
- You like making gourmet drinks and enjoy cannabis
You can mix cannabis infusions, emulsions, or syrups into just about any drink: coffee, smoothies, lemonade and tea, cocktails or mocktails, or even fizzy drinks. Start with something you enjoy without the cannabis infusion, and go from there!
Do Cannabis Beverages Get You High?
Cannabis-infused beverages can cause sleepiness, relaxation, euphoria, and other symptoms of cannabis intoxication because they contain the psychoactive chemical THC.
It depends on the amount of THC in the syrup or tincture you use to make a drink. Significant substances in infused THC drinks, such as alcohol and caffeine, may induce other adverse effects. If you want to avoid mixing the effects of alcohol and cannabis, you can make mocktails instead of cocktails, smoothies, lattes, or other kinds of nonalcoholic drinks.
Contact poison control immediately if you suffer undesirable or unexpected symptoms after eating cannabis-infused beverages.
How Fast Do Cannabis Drinks Work?
Because liquids are absorbed by the body faster than solids, drinking cannabis-infused drinks might cause therapeutic effects to develop sooner than eating classic cannabis edibles like cookies and brownies. Cannabis intoxication can develop between 30 minutes and hours after consuming cannabis-containing goods such as beverages or edibles.
Are Cannabis-Infused Beverages Healthier Than Alcohol?
Many cannabis-infused beverage makers promote their goods as “gentle,” “smooth,” and providing “a new type of high.” Compared to alcoholic beverages, Cannabis-infused beverages are said to have no hangover and fewer calories. As a result, some are advertised as alcohol replacements.
There is no scientific proof; however, that cannabis beverages offer a healthier alternative to alcoholic beverages, according to poison.org. Pesticides, heavy metals, and other undesired pollutants may be present in cannabis plants and extracts. In addition, many cannabis-infused beverages incorporate additional sugar to improve flavour.
If you make your own cannabis-infused drinks using cannabis products from a reputable dispensary, you should be able to avoid these pitfalls. In addition, your dispensary should be able to provide you with a certificate of analysis showing if your cannabis extract or other product has any heavy metals or pesticides.
What Kind Of Cannabis Do I Use To Infuse A Drink?
If you make simple syrup at home, you will want to use decarboxylated cannabis flowers to infuse the syrup.
If you are making a smoothie or other drink that can be blended, you can use a cannabis tincture, which you can make yourself or purchase from a dispensary.
How Much Cannabis Should I Have In My Drink?
Everyone is different when determining the appropriate dose for cannabis beverages. The average user should limit themselves to 10mg of THC. This, however, varies from person to person. A seasoned cannabis enthusiast will require a different dosage than a first-time user.
If you’ve never used cannabis before, we recommend beginning with 5mg of THC. We recommend 30mg for a true connoisseur. You should avoid caution and consume less than you may otherwise use since your body absorbs liquids more quickly than edibles.
Oozelife.com recommends these tips for safe dosing of cannabis in drinks:
- First, choose a safe and enjoyable setting for the first time you brew a THC-infused drink. Then, if you become too high, you’ll be comfortable in your safe place until the high subsides.
- If you don’t feel anything, wait at least 30 minutes before drinking more. THC tincture might catch you off guard since your stomach needs time to absorb the cannabis ingredients.
- Begin with modest dosages and gradually increase. Remember that you can always drink more but never less.
- If you plan on drinking many THC-infused cocktails, split the dosage by the number of drinks you want to consume.
- Follow these responsible consumption tips, and you should be fine.
Where To Buy Cannabis Infusing Supplies
You can purchase oil-based cannabis tinctures from your trusted dispensary. If you want to try making your own tincture or simple syrup, everything but cannabis is readily available at your grocery store or supermarket. Food-grade emulsifiers are available in supermarkets or your favourite online retailer for an emulsion.
Always remember to purchase your cannabis from a reputable retailer like WeedSmart, which can and is ready to provide you with a certificate of analysis. This will help you to know what is in your cannabis or cannabis product and how it will affect you.
Conclusion on Cannabis Beverage Sales
Cannabis enthusiasts throughout the ages have perfected tinctures and additions to beverages to bring a cannabis experience to their drinks. More recently, scientists and mixologists have used chemistry and cooking skills to find even more ways to add cannabis to their drink of choice without sacrificing flavour or texture.
So, with a trip to the supermarket and your dispensary, you will be on your way to a smooth, delicious cannabis-infused drink experience in no time.
Alternatively, if you want to bypass the entire THC drink-making process, you can buy cannabis beverages from mail-order weed edible dispensaries or even get weed delivery in Vancouver. Lastly, ensure you purchase legal cannabis drinks to stay risk-free and safe when you buy cannabis drinks online in Canada.
References
Andrews, S. (2022, April 19). How to Make THC-Infused Drinks? Soft Secrets. Available at: https://softsecrets.com/en-US/article/how-make-thc-infused-drinks
BC Weed Delivery. (2022, October 7). Find the best mail-order marijuana in Canada. Available at: https://bcweeddelivery.org/mail-order-marijuana/
Williams, A. (2022, July 21). Guide: How to make cannabis drinks at home. Leafly. Available at: https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/guide-how-to-make-cannabis-drinks-at-home
Daily Treats Delivery. (2022, October 7). Same-Day Weed Delivery in Vancouver. Available at: https://dailytreatsdelivery.io/same-day-service/local-weed-delivery-vancouver/
Ooze Life. (2022, July 14). How To Make THC-Infused Drinks. Available at: https://www.oozelife.com/blogs/news/how-to-make-thc-infused-drinks
The Green Ace. (2022, October 7). Buy Cannabis Drinks From the Top Mail-Order Marijuana Dispensary in Canada. Available at: https://thegreenace.org/product-category/edibles/thc-teas/
Schmidt, E. (2020, February 26). How to Read a COA and Why it’s so Important. ACS Laboratory. Available at: https://acslabcannabis.com/blog/compliance/how-to-read-a-coa-and-why-its-so-important/
Swan, D. (2021, November 23). Cannabis-Infused Drink Recipes Perfect for Any Occasion. MUV. Available at: https://www.muvfl.com/post/cannabis-infused-drink-recipes
Health Canada (2020, January 23). Cannabis Laws and Regulations. Government of Canada. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/laws-regulations.html
