It is now legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to three ounces of cannabis and up to 24 grams of concentrated cannabis for personal use in New York. Adults may smoke or vape cannabis wherever smoking tobacco is allowed under the smoke-free air laws, with a few exceptions.

Cannabis use is not allowed in motor vehicles (even if they are parked) or in outdoor dining areas at restaurants. Smoking or vaping cannabis in prohibited areas may result in a civil summons and fine.

It is still against the law for people younger than 21 years old to possess, sell or use any amount of cannabis. Also, no one may legally possess more than three ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrated cannabis, sell any amount without a license, or drive while under the influence or impaired by cannabis.

The common understanding of indicas and sativas is that indica strains are physically sedating, perfect for relaxing with a movie or as a nightcap before bed, and sativa strains are energizing with uplifting cerebral effects that pair well with physical activity, social gatherings, and creative projects. Hybrid strains are thought to have a mix of indica and sativa effects.

But indica doesn’t always mean “in da couch” and sativas don’t necessarily energize all consumers. The origins of the two terms are actually rooted in botany, not effects, and describe the physical structure of a plant. On top of that, every person has a different body chemistry, so a strain can affect each person differently.

1. Don’t panic

Most symptoms of “greening out” (ingesting too much cannabis) will dissipate within minutes to hours, with no lasting effects beyond a little grogginess and a potentially empty fridge. Give it some time and these feelings will eventually pass, trust us.

We must reiterate that, contrary to what you may have heard, there have been zero reported cannabis overdose deaths in the history of ever, so despite how freaked out you may feel or how sweaty you get, you won’t expire from excessive consumption.

Don’t take that on as a challenge, just keep in mind that if you accidentally overdo it, you’ll be OK in a while.

2. Try water and light snacks
Whether you prefer water or juice, make sure you have a nice, cold beverage on hand (preferably non-caffeinated). This will help you combat dry mouth and allow you to focus on a simple and familiar act—sipping and swallowing.

Keep in mind that by “hydrate,” we don’t mean “knock back a few alcoholic beverages.” If you’re feeling the effects of your strain a little too aggressively, stay away from alcohol, as it can increase THC blood concentrations.

Does eating after smoking weed sober you up?
Some people find that a light snack helps to feel a little more grounded. Consider grazing on some fruits, nuts, or cheese, and see if it’s a little easier to connect mind and body. Some research suggests that the terpenes in our food, which are also abundant in cannabis, may help mitigate the consumer’s high.

3. Know your limits before consuming
If you can, try to prepare for your cannabis session according to your tolerance level. If you know that more than two puffs from a joint makes you anxious, or a 10mg gummy glues you to the couch, don’t push past your comfort zone. This likely won’t help you once you’re already over the edge, but it can help you avoid an uncomfortable situation for next time.

Consume with friends you trust and have smoked with before, and don’t feel pressured to consume to their tolerance levels. It’s all well and good to make new friends, but being surrounded by strangers when you can’t feel your face is unpleasant at best and anxiety-ridden at worst.

Take it slow, especially when consuming edibles. We recommend trying a standard dose of 10 mg (or even 5 mg out of an abundance of caution) and waiting at least an hour, if not two, before increasing your edibles dosage. The same goes for inhalation methods—if you’re used to occasionally taking one hit off your personal vaporizer, don’t sit in a smoking circle puffing and passing for an hour.

4. Chew black peppercorns when you’re too high
If you find yourself combating paranoia and anxiety, a simple household ingredient found in kitchens and restaurants everywhere can come to your rescue: black pepper. Many swear by the black pepper trick, even Neil Young! Just sniff or chew on a few black peppercorns and it should provide almost instantaneous relief. While it hasn’t been proven, many of the terpenes in black pepper also appear in numerous cannabis strains, which may contribute to its grounding effects.

5. Keep calm and rest
Find a calm, quiet place without a lot of stimuli where you can rest and breathe deeply. Remember, the intense discomfort you’re feeling will pass. Take deep full breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Focus on the sound of your breath and just rest a while.

Sometimes sleeping it off can be the best alternative to stopping a strong high, but it’s not always easy to turn your brain off. Once you’ve found a zen area, lie down and let yourself relax. If you feel drowsy or sleepy, take a little nap to rejuvenate yourself. Should you be unable to fall asleep, just get comfortable until you feel strong enough to spring back up.

6. Try going for a walk
If you can’t turn your brain off, sometimes a change of scenery and some fresh air to get your blood pumping will help invigorate you. Just remember to stay close to your immediate surroundings and bring a buddy—we don’t want you wandering off and getting lost while you’re feeling anxious and paranoid! And refrain from taking a walk if you’re feeling too woozy or light-headed to stand; instead, we recommend Option #5: lay down for a while.

7. Take a shower or bath
While it’s not always feasible if you’re out and about or at a friend’s house, if you’re at home, try taking a nice shower or bath to help relax while you wait for the effects of smoking too much weed to dissipate.

Will taking a shower take away my high?
Unfortunately, scientists have yet to publish a study on showering’s effects on stoned subjects, but anecdotal evidence and the science of showers indicate that yes, showering will most likely mellow your high. Showers in general relax the mind and body, and cold showers in particular appear to help with lowering symptoms of depression and increasing neural impulses, making you feel more alert and grounded.

8. Distract yourself!
All of the activities that seem so entertaining and fun while high are also a great way to distract yourself while you try to come back down to Earth. We suggest that you:

Watch a funny cartoon
Listen to your favorite album
Play a video game
Talk to your friends (who are hopefully right by your side, reassuring you)
Snuggle with your significant other
Try coloring as a calming activity (seriously, adult coloring books are becoming all the rage lately)
Eat something delicious
Whatever distractions you prefer, make sure it’s a familiar activity that gives you warm, fuzzy emotions. Your brain will hopefully zone in on the positive feelings and give you a gentle reminder that you are safe and just fine.

Sobering up from edibles
We know now that the high from an edible can differ significantly from a smoking, vaping or dabbing high. After all, our body metabolizes them via different systems, and edible highs are the most long-lasting of any consumption method because THC will pass through the liver during digestion, which enhances THC’s longevity.

Thus, not all methods on this list may work for edibles. We do recommend trying to stay calm, drinking water, and distracting yourself. You can also try eating a large meal to keep your metabolism going, or taking some CBD edibles to help lessen the edible’s effects. If you can manage it, a nice, long siesta can do the trick too.

Sobering up from delta-8
The isolation and subsequent popularization of hemp-derived delta-8 THC has given producers and consumers new opportunities to play with weed, and that includes news possibilities for greening out. Fortunately, because of its differing molecular structure, delta-8 is nowhere near as intoxicating per milligram as delta-9.

When eating edibles, weed has to be digested and metabolized in your stomach and liver before you feel effects. This takes a bit longer than smoking or vaping, and leads to a more potent experience.

Because this process takes much longer, we recommend people “start low and go slow” when consuming edibles—take a low dose of edibles and wait until the effects kick in, at least 45-60 minutes, or even longer. If you want more effects after that time period, then take more edibles.

If you are new to cannabis or have a low tolerance, start with 2.5 mg of edibles or even less. If you want stronger effects after an hour, try another 2.5 mg or less.

If you take more edibles before waiting for the initial dose’s effects to kick in, both doses will kick in later and you could potentially feel too high.Factors that can impact how long edibles take to work
Several factors are involved in how strong the effects of an edible will be.

Type of edible
Edibles such as gummies, baked goods, drinks, and others are digested in the stomach and liver and usually take 45-60 minutes for effects to kick in.

Certain edibles such as mint strips, lozenges, and lollipops are absorbed sublingually, under the tongue. Effects will occur within minutes this way, as THC is directly absorbed into the bloodstream.

Dosage
Edibles with a high dosage, such as 10 mg or more, may kick in more quickly than ones with a low dose.

Tolerance
How much cannabis you consume on a regular basis will greatly affect how potent an edible is for you. If you smoke weed every day (high tolerance), 5 mg of edibles might not feel that strong; if you rarely smoke (low tolerance), 5 mg may feel like a lot.

Body weight and metabolism
How quickly or slowly your body processes or metabolizes food and edibles will affect how long it takes to kick in, how long it lasts, and how strong it will be.

How to make edibles work faster
If you like the benefits of edibles but not how long they take to kick in, here are a few options to speed up the onset of effects.

Sublinguals: Try tinctures, mint strips, lozenges, lollipops, or any other edible that is absorbed sublingually; THC is absorbed much more quickly under the tongue and effects will kick in within minutes
Empty stomach: How full you are can affect how quickly an edible kicks in and consuming edibles with little food in your stomach can lead to faster effects—just be sure to have some munchies around when the effects do kick in
Tolerance break: Taking a break from consuming cannabis for a day or two beforehand can make the effects of an edible kick in quicker and feel stronger.

For milder cases, we suggest hydrating with lemon juice in water, which helps neutralize terpenes and counteracts the dehydrating effects of THC. Chewing black peppercorns will shift discomfort due to terpenes.

 If you don’t have access to those, keeping the person hydrated and comfortable and offering reassurance are the best strategies. 

As a last resort, take a visit to urgent care. If your loved one is experiencing a psychotic break due to a weed overdose, keeping them safe is vital. 

As cannabis use becomes more popular among a variety of age groups, avid users wonder, “is there a difference between smoking marijuana and edible marijuana?” Yes, there is. At first glance, there may not seem like there’s such a big difference between edibles and smoking weed; however, smoking and ingesting something can produce two very different kinds of experiences. A person who prefers smoking weed may not enjoy how eating edibles makes them feel. When analyzing edible weed vs smoking, it’s important to keep several things in mind. The difference between edibles and smoking marijuana depends on a variety of factors.

Smoking and ingestion produce two different experiences. While both allow marijuana to enter the body, it’s processed in different ways. When weed is smoked, it’s inhaled into the lungs where the person may experience coughing and problems breathing. When edibles are eaten, it’s processed in the stomach before being released into the bloodstream and the rest of the body. While less THC is absorbed into the body when it’s eaten in edibles, its effects do last longer. This may also have to do with the fact that edibles and smoking are two different tolerances. The longer someone has used marijuana, the higher the dosage they may need to feel any side effects. This can be extremely dangerous.

When cannabis is eaten through edibles, its effects take longer to kick in than if it was smoked because of the longer process that THC has to go through when it hits the stomach and not the lungs. Because people expect the side effects of edibles to immediately kick in, when they don’t feel anything at first, they may attempt to speed up the process by ingesting more. This could cause a scary and uncomfortable high that could last for hours.

Another significant difference between smoking marijuana and edibles is the inability to gauge how much of it you’re consuming when you eat edibles. Because edibles take longer to take effect, people may add more marijuana to quicken the process. This also means that it’s nearly impossible to keep track of how much weed you’re consuming. Especially if someone else prepared the edibles, you could be consuming a dangerous amount.