{"id":19814,"date":"2026-03-20T07:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T13:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=19814"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:13:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T20:13:57","slug":"five-things-you-should-know-about-marijuana-edibles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/five-things-you-should-know-about-marijuana-edibles\/","title":{"rendered":"Five things you should know about marijuana edibles"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Marijuana edibles can send people to the ER if they take too much or have a bad reaction. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Rocky Mountains beckon. So, too, do the pot shops.<\/p>\n

Many visitors to Colorado come for the state\u2019s natural beauty, but also are curious about marijuana dispensaries.<\/p>\n

Before indulging in edibles, take some advice from Dr. Andrew Monte, an emergency medicine physician, toxicology expert and an associate professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine<\/a>. Monte cares for patients in the ER and has done extensive studies on marijuana use.<\/p>\n

His advice: Be very cautious about edibles.<\/p>\n

While Monte says some edibles may help patients with medical problems like pain, they\u2019re not a good choice for recreational users, especially for novices who haven\u2019t used weed or tried edibles in the past. For some people, edibles can cause scary symptoms like a racing heart, anxiety, and hallucinations.<\/p>\n

Five things to know before trying marijuana edibles:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Here are five things that Monte hopes people take into consideration if they do decide to try marijuana edibles.<\/p>\n

Start small. Go slow. <\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n

Edibles affect individuals in different ways. It can take up to four hours for the high from an edible to take effect. The biggest mistake new users make is continuing to ingest edibles if they don\u2019t feel high right away. Then, the high hits hard and can last for several hours, leading some people to feel sick or anxious and seek help in ERs.<\/p>\n

Edibles are much more likely to cause people to seek medical help compared with inhaled marijuana. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a study<\/a> in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Monte found that ER visits due to edibles were 33 times higher than expected, when controlled for product sales in the state.\u00a0That\u2019s true even though inhaled forms of marijuana are much more common than edibles.<\/p>\n

The state-recommended dose for edibles is 10 mg, but even that dose can make some people feel sick or anxious.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Monte has had patients who have consumed the recommended dosage and still suffered negative side effects. He does not recommend recreational use of edibles. But, if people are trying them, they should start with no more than 2.5 to 5 mg. and see how they respond before eating or drinking more. Never mix edibles with alcohol or other drugs.<\/p>\n

The negative side effects from edibles can be scary. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

For those who have a negative reaction to edibles, the symptoms can include a racing heart, excessive sweating, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations and delusions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can cause people to freak out. Clearly, edibles have a more severe toxicity than inhaled forms, and the effects are psychiatric in nature,\u201d Monte said.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, people flying out of Colorado decide to finish all the edibles they\u2019ve purchased before heading to the airport. Then, the high hits right when they\u2019re going through security or trying to board a plane. Some end up in the ER instead of catching a flight home.<\/p>\n

In extreme cases, three deaths in Colorado have been linked to the consumption of marijuana edibles.<\/p>\n