As cannabis edibles hit store shelves, Dr. Brian Goldman suggests users start slow

Each week, Cross Country Checkup devotes the program's last half hour to an interview with a high-profile newsmaker, celebrity, thinker or cultural figure who takes calls from listeners.

As cannabis edibles — including candies, chocolates and teas — become available at legal cannabis retailers this month, Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC Radio's White Coat, Black Art, suggests users take it slow.

"If you puff on a joint, it goes straight to your brain ... and you get an effect within minutes," the Toronto-based ER doctor told Cross Country Checkup host Duncan McCue on Sunday.

By contrast, an edible has to make its way through a person's digestive system and blood stream before it takes effect, which can take anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes, Goldman explained during an Ask Me Anything phone-in where listeners could call in with their questions.

Edibles, which became available for sale in mid-December, can have different intoxicating effects. 

Goldman suggests people take note of how many milligrams of THC — the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana — an edible product contains, and start off with a low dosage. 

"You might have a bar that contains 100 milligrams. You're not going to eat that whole thing — you better not," Goldman said.  

He added that consuming too many edible cannabis products can lead to symptoms, such as paranoia or temporary psychotic symptoms like hallucinations. 

Safeguarding children

When it comes to children, one listener asked what to do if a child accidentally consumes a cannabis-infused treat. 

Goldman explained that it's possible for children to have toxic effects from exposure to small amounts of cannabis because of their size.

"If you see the evidence that they have consumed it, you call poison control and 911," he said. 

To hear more from Dr. Brian Goldman on cannabis edibles, download our Ask Me Anything podcast or click Listen above.