What Exactly Are THC Pills?

Despite stereotypes that often peg cannabis users as lazy or unambitious, they can actually be quite inventive and resourceful. Partakers of pot have developed countless ways to ingest the herb and reap the benefits of its cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids and other compounds. Although smoking is the most well-known method of using cannabis, vaping, tinctures, edibles, beverages, and topical formulations are also available and quite popular. THC pills are another option now available. They can be found at medical marijuana dispensaries and DIY weed capsules can even be made at home.

What Are THC Pills?

Commercial THC pills are usually a potent cannabis extract in a gelatin capsule. The concentrate is often mixed with a vegetable oil, often medium chain triglyceride coconut oil. Because THC is not water soluble, mixing the extract with a fat of some kind aids in the absorption of the cannabinoid by the digestive system. Different THC potencies including 2mg microdoses, 10mg, 25mg, and even 100mg per capsule can be found. Options with specific ratios of THC: CBD are also available.

It’s also simple enough to make weed capsules at home with flower, concentrates, or kief.

Pharmaceutical THC pills, such as dronabinol and its brand-name equivalent Marinol, are also available by prescription. But these medications are made with synthetically produced THC, rather than being derived directly from cannabis plants. Because of this, they lack the benefits of the additional cannabinoids and other compounds found in whole-plant extractions commonly used for other THC capsules.

Benefits of Weed Pills

There are many reasons that THC pills are a good option for some cannabis users. Since weed capsules aren’t smoked, they are safer to use. Although it appears the risks of smoking cannabis aren’t as high as smoking tobacco, burning pot still produces unhealthy chemicals including carbon monoxide. THC capsules or pills allow the user to avoid the harmful substances produced by combustion.

The lack of smoke also makes pills or capsules a far more discreet way to ingest cannabis. The pills also don’t have the pungent aroma of good herb, enhancing their discretion even more.

THC pills can also make dosing more precise. Although it can be difficult to determine the amount of THC in a homemade weed capsule, most commercial options have been formulated and lab tested for potency. This makes it easy to know exactly how much THC is being consumed, which can be important for medical marijuana patients and those with a lower tolerance.

Also, the THC in pills or capsules doesn’t come with all the added fat and sugar commonly found in many cannabis edibles. This can be very important for diabetics and those who wish to limit their caloric intake.

Drawbacks of THC Capsules

Of course, there are some drawbacks to THC pills as well. Even in states with at least some form of legal cannabis, they can be difficult to find. Online sources are almost always illegal and can carry products of dubious quality.

Unless you make your own THC capsules, they can be a little pricey. A bottle of 20 pills can easily cost in excess of $100. But they are generally fairly potent and their effects long-lasting, so it doesn’t take a lot to get a good medicinal or recreational dose.

Also, like cannabis edibles, weed capsules can take a fair amount of time to kick in—45 minutes to 2 hours, or even longer. Before you feel the effects of the pills, your body converts THC  into a different form known as 11-Hydroxy-THC. The high induced by this cannabinoid can be much more intense than smoking weed, so care must be taken not to take too much.

Give Them A Try

If you’ve been looking for a different way to enjoy the medicinal or recreational benefits of cannabis, consider giving THC pills a try. Pick some up the next time you’re at a dispensary, or experiment with making a batch at home.

But take it easy until you’re familiar with their effects. They can be powerful but because it takes time for them to kick in, it’s easy to use too much if you’re impatient.