Eli5: Why does smoking weed result in a different type of high than edibles?

Question

Eli5: Why does smoking weed result in a different type of high than edibles?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Inhaling an intoxicant allows it to directly be absorbed by the blood stream from inside your lungs. On the other hand the digestion process is much much slower to absorb substances so if it’s the same total dosage the effects will be much much milder or if it’s enough of the substance to experience similar intoxication the duration will be much much much longer – but in practice it is usually some combination of the above two, a very gradual intoxication that might peak higher or lower than the inhaled route and then very gradually subsides.