Edibles are a very popular way to consume cannabis. But if you may have found this out the hard way, edibles can melt if not stored properly. If you accidently leave your edibles in a hot car or even just in direct sunlight outside, you might come back to find them fused into some unholy frankengummy.
Although it’s likely to be safe to consume, there are still some important things to consider before you cut off a chunk and eat it. Originally, the dosage from the edible would have been consistent and well-controlled, but can you be so sure now? Will the THC degrade at all? And how can you avoid problems in future? Here’s what you need to know.
Will it Affect Their Strength? The overall amount of THC in your gummies won’t be affected if they melt, because the vaporization temperature of THC and/or CBD is way beyond what they’ll reach unless you literally melt them in the oven. You may have some issues with degradation if you’ve left an edible in your car for several weeks or even months, but in that case it wouldn’t be wise to eat it for more important reasons than just the THC content.
So ultimately, you won’t have lost anything apart from the form of the edibles when you bought them, but if multiple gummies or chocolates have melted together, you’re likely to have issues getting a consistent dosage because of that. Are They Still Safe to Eat? In terms of food safety, it’s still likely to be totally safe to eat infused gummies, chocolates or anything else that’s melted.
Of course, it’s better to put them in the refrigerator or otherwise let them re-solidify before you eat them, but that’s for convenience rather than safety.
Again, unless you’ve left them in a warm place for a very long time they’ll be just as safe to eat as they were originally. Will it Affect Dosage? The big issue if your edibles get melted is that the dosage is highly unlikely to be dependable. While each individual gummy or chunk of chocolate has a precise amount of THC and/or CBD, when multiple doses have melted together, the only thing you can (possibly) be sure about is the total amount in the melted mess.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to break off a similar-sized piece and get the expected dosage. If two have just fused together, sure, the dosage will probably be about right if you break it in half. But as you add more gummies or chunks of chocolate, it’s increasingly likely that the dosage will be unevenly distributed. So the most sensible advice would be to simply not eat the melted edibles and go get more. However, if you’re anything like us you’ll probably want to try to get your money’s worth from what you’ve bought. In that case, you’re very much proceeding at your own risk. Even if you’re very careful, there’s a chance that the first chunk you have will have tons of THC and you’ll end up in a bad spot. That said, in most cases if you start with a small piece – ideally a little smaller than the average amount, just in case – and wait a few hours before redosing. It can take a while for weed edibles to take effect and you don’t want to make the classic mistake of taking more only to have the original piece take effect a few minutes later.
Conclusion So overheated weed edibles are very unlikely to cause you any serious problems, but if you decide to eat a chunk anyway, you need to be very careful about dosing. The best advice is to just get some more, but if you’re going to take a risk, start small and go slow. And to avoid problems in future, keep your edibles in a cool location and put a bit of thought into storage if you’re going to keep them for a long time.
