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If you are someone who doesn’t like to smoke or vape cannabis, you ought to try cannabis-infused edibles. In fact, edibles are now finding their place in recreational and medical dispensaries as well. Of course, you will easily find ready-made edibles on the market, but cooking with cannabis can be fun and rewarding. 

For a newbie, it may require some practice to get it right. But if you follow this step-by-step guide, we are pretty sure you will make the perfect cannabis-infused edibles. 

No doubt, there are hundreds of recipes available. But this particular recipe effectively increases the bioavailability of the cannabinoids. In simple terms, your body will easily absorb the CBD, THC, and other beneficial compounds.

Things You Will Need:

  •   Cannabis starting material
  •   Coconut oil or MCT oil
  •   Cheesecloth
  •   Crock-pot 
  •   Soy lecithin

Step 1: Choose Your Starting Material

The most important thing to note is that the potency and the quality of your starting material will decide the strength of your edibles. That’s why the cured, ground buds-infused edibles are stronger than the same batch made from already-been-vaped buds. 

Edibles can be made using any cannabis products such as trim, buds, solvent-based concentrates, kief, solventless hash, or reclaim. We used the washed trim from an ice water hash extraction here. 

You can also select the specified ratios of THC and CBD in the starting material so that what you make is effective in treating your ailment or symptoms. But you should know that only CBD-infused edibles will be non-psychoactive; the THC-rich edibles will have a psychoactive effect. 

Step 2: Grind the Material

The next step is to grind your material. Some people might recommend grinding cannabis with a food processor or a coffee grinder, but you should avoid those.

Instead, we suggest that you use a traditional grinder, as pulverizing the buds gives edibles a strong grassy flavor and causes the oil or butter to turn green. 

If the hash congeals into a sticky ball, try to break up the hash into smaller pieces. This will increase the exposed surface area.

Step 3: Activate the CBD/THC

For those who don’t know, the cannabinoids present in your starting material are in their acidic, non-activated state. It means that you need to activate the psychoactive properties if you want to reap its benefits. 

You will need to activate, or decarboxylate, your starting material. To do that, we first recommend that you preheat your oven to approximately 220-225°F. It will probably take between 45 and 60 minutes to fully decarb your material at this temperature.

The decarb time is usually based on the moisture level. As such, a dry material will take much less time to decarb than a fresh material would. 

After grinding, you can spread it out thinly on a cookie sheet and pop it in the oven at 220-225°F. However, if you are using activated CO2 oil, you do not need to decarboxylate further as the material has already been fully activated.

The best time to decarboxylate is prior to placing the material in the oil or butter. 

Step 4: Infuse and Emulsify

The next thing you need to do is put the coconut oil and starting material in a crock-pot. Set the temperature to low and let it cook for 2-3 hours. Using coconut oil is beneficial for people suffering from gallbladder issues and impaired fat digestion. You can also add one teaspoon of soy lecithin to the crock-pot for an additional rise in bioavailability. 

In case a slow cooker isn’t accessible, you can also use an ovenproof dish, covered with tinfoil, at 220°F for 2-3 hours. 

If you feel that the edibles haven’t induced a change within you, try using soy lecithin instead of coconut oil.

Step 5: Cool and Strain

After the infusion, let the oil cool for some time. 

If you used buds or trim, you would need to strain the starting material from the oil. Set a folded cheesecloth in a metal strainer, and then pour the oil over it. 

For grinder kief, dry sifts, or ice water hash, there will probably be nothing to strain.

Photo Credit: Isum

Step 6: Consume or Save

It’s ready to be used. Your easy-to-absorb oil is now packed with activated, valuable cannabinoids. 

You can take a spoonful of oil straight into your mouth or inject the oil into gelatin capsules. You can even use it in your favorite recipe. 

And if you do not wish to consume the oil immediately, store it in a cool, dark place, like a pantry, for a few months. 

Conclusion

The best part is that this cannabis-infused coconut oil can be used as a substitute for butter or oil. 

In fact, you can also use this activated topical oil on your skin to relieve swellings, pain, arthritis, and soreness. 

Also, note that the dosage amount will not be the same for everyone. Thus, we suggest that you start slow so that you may enjoy the effects to the fullest.