Cannabis edibles, including beverages, candies, and other foods, are becoming more popular every day, and sales are expected to jump from just $1 billion in 2017 to $4.1 billion in 2022 according to research from ArcView Market Research and BDS Analytics. That means the number of patients coming to your dispensary for cannabis edibles will continue to grow.
Budtenders and dispensary staff need to be prepared to help those patients find the best cannabis edibles for their conditions, preferences, and lifestyles. The five tips below will help you deliver the best possible recommendations to them.
1. Ask Questions
Your first step when helping a patient is to ask a lot of questions. The best budtenders and dispensary staff – the ones who keep patients coming back again and again – are the ones who take the time to understand each patient’s individual needs.
Of course, this includes discussing the condition the patient wants to treat, the benefits they’re seeking from medical cannabis, and their experience using medical cannabis.
Once you’ve gathered this information, you can help them understand the benefits of edibles, the effects they’re likely to feel when they consume cannabis edibles, and how those effects differ from other forms of cannabis.
Through questions and answers, you’ll have the necessary information to recommend specific strains and types of edibles (solid or liquid) for the patient to try.
2. Explain How Cannabis Edibles Work in the Body
As mentioned in #1 above, you need to explain how cannabis edibles work in the body and how the process and the effects differ from other types of cannabis consumption methods.
For example, patients should understand that unlike smoking cannabis, which allows the active ingredients, including THC, to quickly enter the bloodstream, eating edibles requires some digestive steps to get the THC into the bloodstream.
It could take 30 minutes to two hours before the patient feels the effects after consuming edibles. Therefore, if a patient wants immediate effects, cannabis edibles might not be the right choice for them.
Alternately, a patient might want a low-dose product that allows them to closely limit the amount of THC they consume. In this case, cannabis edibles could be a perfect solution.
As these two examples show, the patient wouldn’t be able to make the right decision unless they understand how cannabis works in the body.
3. Discuss Cannabis Edibles Dosing
Edibles dosing is one of the most important topics budtenders and dispensary staff must discuss with patients because it’s so easy to consume too much, which can lead to hours of uncomfortable effects.
Therefore, explain the importance of starting slow and being very patient. It’s recommended that patients start with a dose of no more than 10 milligrams of THC, but 2.5 or 5 milligrams is preferred for new patients (some doctors recommend starting with 2 milligrams or less).
Remember, with cannabis edibles, the effects ramp up between the first two hours, are in full effect between the second and third hour, and taper off between the third and fifth hour (unlike smoked cannabis which peaks and tapers off within one hour).
Because of the slow ramp up in terms of feeling the effects of edible cannabis products, patients have a tendency to eat too much during those first two hours, which will cause them to feel the effects more intensely and possibly uncomfortably.
Advise patients that they shouldn’t eat more cannabis edibles for at least two hours after the initial dose, but a safer option is to wait a day and then increase the dose to 5 or 10 milligrams. They can continue this daily increase until they find the dosage that works best for them.
Additional considerations include the patient’s prior experience with cannabis, their weight, how recently they’ve eaten before they consume cannabis edibles, and their metabolism.
Talk with patients to make sure they understand the dangers related to cannabis edibles dosing and confirm they’ll take it slow. It’s also wise to advise them to stay home and have another person with them the first time they try cannabis edibles.
4. Explain How to Read Labels
Show package labels to all patients who consider purchasing cannabis edibles, and point out important information they should understand.
For example, show them where to find the dosing guidelines, and remind them to start slowly. The dosage differences between cannabis edibles products can be significant. One product could include 10 milligrams of THC per dose and another could have 100 milligrams per dose!
It’s also important for medical patients to review all of the ingredients on cannabis edibles labels. Not only should they choose a product made with quality ingredients, but they should also eat cannabis edibles that include healthy ingredients and meet any dietary restrictions they may have.
Budtenders and dispensary staff should also point out labels that provide details about a product’s lab testing. All states don’t require that cannabis products are tested for quality, but to ensure the edibles they choose don’t include contaminants that medical patients could be particularly susceptible to, it’s always best to select products that have been tested by independent labs.
5. Discuss Safety Considerations
In addition to the dosing and lab testing considerations discussed above, you should also advise the patients visiting your dispensary about other safety considerations related to cannabis edibles.
Importantly, patients should choose products with child-resistant packaging if they have children at home. If child-resistant packaging isn’t available, they should be warned to keep edibles out of the reach of children at all times.
In addition, patients should understand that they should not drink alcohol while using medical cannabis, including cannabis edibles, and no matter what, they should not drive.
Help Your Dispensary’s Patients Choose the Right Cannabis Edibles
The five tips above are just an introduction for budtenders and dispensary staff to recommend cannabis edibles to patients. To learn more (and to get certified in cannabis dispensary operations), register for Leafy Green Agency’s Medical Marijuana Dispensary Staff and Operations Certification Seminar.
You can find current dates and cities for the seminar here. Don’t see your city listed? We add new seminars to the schedule all the time, so subscribe to our email newsletter to be notified when new seminar dates and locations are added.