If you're looking to get the most out of your cannabis edibles, eating them on an empty stomach may be the best option for faster effects. But if you're looking for longer-lasting effects, taking edibles with fatty foods may be preferred. Caffeine can help temporarily speed up metabolism and its effects are almost immediate. Eating your food with a cold infusion or a cup of green tea can help the digestive process proceed more smoothly, which may slightly reduce the time it takes for edibles to take effect.
When you eat edibles, marijuana has to be digested and metabolized in your stomach and liver before you feel its effects. This takes a little longer than smoking or vaping, and leads to a more powerful experience. Part of the reason that edibles have such a different effect is because they are processed by the digestive system rather than the lungs. Vaporized THC can reach the bloodstream through the lungs almost instantly, but it takes a while to digest an edible.
If you like the benefits of edibles, but not how long they take to take effect, there are some options to accelerate the onset of their effects. Your body may not finish processing all the cannabinoids for a few hours after eating the food. Eating your food on an empty stomach will give it a head start and when you have a euphoric effect, you won't eat it on an empty stomach. If you're an athletic person with an efficient metabolism, your groceries will be activated faster as a result of that.
The type of food you choose and the way you consume it can also help you experience the effects a little faster. Taking the food with a hot drink or drinking a cup of hot soup or broth can help food break down in the stomach a little faster. It's important to remember that everyone's body chemistry is different and there are many other factors that contribute to the intensity of an edible experience. Start with a small portion of your cannabis edible and then wait long enough before eating more.
If you can't make groceries work for you or if you don't like the waiting period, use an alternative to groceries. If you smoke marijuana every day (high tolerance), 5 mg of edibles may not seem as strong; if you smoke less (low tolerance), 5 mg may seem like a lot.
