Ever eaten an edible and thought “Huh, nothing’s happening”… only to wake up in the Upside Down two hours later?

Welcome to the weird world of edible cannabis. The reason edibles hit so different has everything to do with chemistry, metabolism, and your very cool but very dramatic liver.

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🍪 It Starts with Delta-9

When you smoke or vape weed, the Δ9-THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) hits your bloodstream quickly through the lungs. That’s the fast lane to your brain.

But when you eat cannabis, the game changes. Your Δ9-THC goes through your digestive system and gets metabolized by your liver first. And here’s where things get wild:

Your liver transforms Δ9-THC into 11-hydroxy-THC—a different compound that hits harder and lasts longer.

This is why:

• Edibles take 30-90 minutes to kick in
• The effects can last 6+ hours
• You may suddenly realize you’re very high after forgetting you even ate one

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📈 Why It Feels Different

11-hydroxy-THC crosses the blood–brain barrier more efficiently than Δ9-THC. That means:

• More psychoactive punch
• Deeper body effects
• Longer ride (sometimes too long, tbh)

So when people say “edibles don’t work on me,” they’re usually:

• Not waiting long enough
• Eating too little
•  Have metabolism differences (because yes, your enzymes matter)
• Have had their gall bladder removed

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📊 Dosing Drama

Edibles can be a minefield of weird dosing:

• Homemade? Good luck with consistency.
• Labelled 10 mg? That’s 10 mg of Δ9-THC, not 11-hydroxy—so the punch it packs can feel way stronger.
• Your friend eats 20 mg and has a chill time, while you eat 5 mg and astral project.

Start low. Wait two hours. And don’t double-dose unless you enjoy time dilation.

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TL;DR (Too Lazy, Didn’t Ruminate)

• Edibles = Δ9-THC → liver → 11-hydroxy-THC
• 11-hydroxy hits harder, longer, and deeper
• Metabolism, dose, and timing matter a lot

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👩‍🔬 Author Note

I’m the scientific director of a cannabis testing lab, and I write Chronically Informed to make weed science actually make sense—even when you’re horizontal and full of gummies.