Does eating raw marijuana produce psycho-effects? Some marijuana lovers prefer eating cannabis instead of smoking it. In fact, marijuana edibles make up a huge portion of the legal marijuana industry are one of the most popular ways of consuming marijuana. Some people are often confused if eating raw marijuana can get them. This article looks at everything you need to know about eating raw cannabis.
Will Raw Marijuana Get You High?
For those who were hoping to get high after eating some raw marijuana, they are in for a disappointment. Raw marijuana will not get the user high. To understand why, they have to be familiar with a little bit of marijuana chemistry.
It should be noted that marijuana is full of naturally-occurring compounds known as cannabinoids. As such when marijuana is consumed and metabolized these chemicals enter the body of user and interact with his/her body’s endocannabinoid system, triggering all sorts of activity and changes in his/her body, including affecting mood, appetite, sleep, pain perception just to name a few. This actually produces the sensation of being high, but the user will only feel that way if his/her body gets active THC, but is rather unfortunate that raw marijuana doesn’t actually have THC readily available. Raw marijuana instead contains the non-psychoactive cannabinoid THCA which is usually converted into “active” THC only when marijuana is exposed to head, which then makes the user feel high.
This process is known as “decarboxylation.” This is exactly what happens when a user light up a marijuana bud, or when he/she heats it to the point of vaporizing. This also justifies why before an edible can get a user high, the marijuana must at some point be decarboxylated. As such when marijuana is eaten raw, this crucial step is missing, thus all the user gets is THCA, not THC, which means he/she won’t get high.
What Happens When Raw Marijuana is Eaten?
For users who want to eat raw marijuana, they shouldn’t worry. Although they won’t get high from eating raw marijuana, they still may get other health benefits from eating it. Of recent, a growing number marijuana users claim that eating raw marijuana can be a great way of accessing the therapeutic and health benefits of cannabinoids without experiencing any of the psychoactive effects of marijuana.
According to Dr. William Courtney, one of the leading activists of consuming raw marijuana, ingesting the plant raw is one of the healthiest ways of consuming it.
He added that when marijuana is consumed as a leafy green vegetable, the user gets the whole profile of the plant. Courtney also revealed that he regularly recommends raw marijuana to his patients and that to date, he has encouraged close to 8,000 patients to give it a shot who have so reported positive outcomes.
Juicing Is Best
Juicing marijuana is the best option for many people interested in the health benefits of raw marijuana, because it allows the user to get all the cannabinoids and other vitamins and minerals contained in the cannabis plant without having to process the fibrous plant matter, which can be difficult to digest. Many regular users have reported that it also tastes much better, especially when cannabis juice is mixed with other juice or added to a smoothie.
Additionally, a super-charged health drink can be made by mixing your cannabis juice with other healthy, vitamin-rich fruits or vegetables drink. To juice raw marijuana, a juicer and raw, un-decarboxylated marijuana is needed. What is good is the fact that every part of the cannabis plant, buds, leaves, and all can be juiced. This is done simply by roughly chopping the plant matter and adding it in batches to the juicer. From there, whatever other fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens can be added.
Eating Raw Marijuana to Access the Benefits of THCA
Raw marijuana won’t get the user high because it has not been decarboxylated that is the non-psychoactive cannabinoid THCA has not been converted into the psychoactive cannabinoid THC. However it should be noted that THCA could in fact be a very important part of the marijuana plant as researchers have identified a number of possible health and therapeutic benefits linked to THCA. Here are some researches about this cannabinoid:
- A study was conducted in 2011 which looked at a number of cannabinoids including THCA. Ad the researchers found that THCA can function as an anti-inflammatory agent, thereby helping reduce a number of other health conditions.
- Another study published in 2012 revealed that both THC and THCA may have a number of neuroprotective qualities essential for brain health and which can fend off certain types of brain cell dysfunction and death.
- A study conducted in 2013 revealed that a handful of cannabinoids, including THCA, could be helpful in slowing the growth and spread of certain types of cancer cells.
However, there are several other potential health benefits of consuming THCA. But is should be noted that once cannabis heats up, THCA disappears, and is converted into psychoactive THC instead. So if for marijuana lovers who want to access the potential health benefits of THCA, they will need to get it from raw marijuana.