Is Ingesting Cannabis Edibles During Work a Good Idea?

Aren’t cannabis edibles getting more popular lately?

Perhaps they are, with the laws being more liberal, more people are getting aware of the medical effects of cannabis and its different methods of consumption. Today, in 33 states you can legally buy cannabis through your medical cannabis card.

You would find all kinds of edibles in your nearby dispensary, chocolates, cakes, gummies, candies, biscuits, etc. These are also a safer choice for medical users as they can omit the carcinogens which are linked with smoking cannabis. For clarifications or applying for a medical card, you can reach out to a medical cannabis clinic near you.  

But does cannabis enhance work productivity?

Or

Is it a good idea to consume cannabis edibles during work hours.?

Lets us learn a few fundamentals before we get there,
Shall we!

How Does Edibles React with Your Body?

Edibles enter our body through our digestive tract, where they are metabolized by our liver into metabolites before entering our bloodstream. They could take anywhere from 30minutes to 2 hours to show their effects, which largely depends upon the metabolic rate of one’s body. This is the primary reason why edibles differ from other methods of cannabis consumption like smoking or sublingual methods such as oil or tinctures. 

THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids present in cannabis upon metabolization enter our bloodstream and interacts with our endocannabinoid system(ECS) which regulates functions of various organs, activities of our immune system, and central nervous system.

Several physiological and psychological effects of cannabis on our mind and body can be explained through the relation between cannabis sand our ECS.

How High Will I be?

Some of you might be wondering

If the high concerned with smoking marijuana and ingesting edibles with an equivalent amount of cannabis is the same!

Well, the answer is no, and this can be explained through the fact that when THC is metabolized in the liver, delta 9-THC becomes 11-OH- THC, which is highly potent. This is a common misconception among cannabis users, thus while consuming cananbis few things must be taken care of. 

So, edibles can get you really high and have prolonged effects that could last up to 8 hours, thus should be used with caution.

Can it Boost Work Productivity?

However, some people relate creativity linked with cananbis use to a mere illusion. As we know that cannabis can cause an altered perception of the subject in concern, it could vary from a person to person.

Research shows that cannabis consumption increases the cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the brain’s frontal lobe which is linked with the mind’s creative thinking. These findings were supported by Berkeley Medical Jornal experiments held in 1992. 

Alice Flaherty, a neurologist from Harvard medical school said that a person enduring a high creativity phase has a higher frontal lobe activity as compared to the phases with lower creativity. This further supports the above research..

Cannabis also enhances the divergent thinking, which is a common measure of creativity. It is linked with exploring many ideas typically in a nonlinear pattern and involves freethinking and out of the box ideas.

What About Microdosing?

When it comes to creativity or work productivity, the right amount of dosage is the key to having a good experience. While because of the whole metabolism process that takes place in the liver, cannabis could take an hour or two to show its effects, it could take a long time(6-8hours) to wear off.

This study conducted in 2014 shows that a low dosage of THC (3-5mg) improved the cognitive response and divergent thinking of the user, unlike in cases where users consumed high THC edibles (20-22 mg), which showed contrary effects. 

So, it’s a great idea to know your body’s onset dose before trying out cananbis during work hours. By the rule of thumb, beginning with a low dose and then gradually increasing if required is the key.