Last weekend, dozens of California based cannabis purveyors descended upon San Francisco to take part in the city's first ever medical marijuana 'get baked' sale.
The gathering, which was held at the city's SOMAStreat food park, had a $20 entry fee and gave licensed medical marijuana card holders the chance to sample a variety of cannabis infused food items. Street vendors peddled everything from pot laced ice creams and macaroons to doughnuts and empanadas.
At present, Cannabis is only legal for medicinal purposes but advocates of the drug have been trying to convince California legislators to legalize the substance for recreational use. If all goes according to plan, recreational marijuana use may become legal in the state by November 2016.
Speaking with local news outlet SFGate, event goer Steve Medina, had this to say about the event:
"This is truly the crumbling of an archaic symbol, as the walls and legal limits have come down, the cannabis market has blossomed. It's liberating."
Others were not as enthused with the prospect of wide spread acceptance for cannabis based edibles. Another festival goer named Sam told Business Insider she felt an "inherent terror" at the thought.
Marijuana edibles have been a polarizing subject as of late. The source of the debate comes from how the substance is metabolized by the body when it is smoked vs. ingested through cooked food.
In a piece published by Forbes last year, Pharmacologist Kari Franson told the magazine that Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) takes 3-10 minutes to trigger when smoked. Eating on the other hand, may take anywhere from 1-3 hours. This often leads to customers stuffing their faces with edibles to achieve the same results as smoking.
"Most users are willing to wait 10 minutes, not 3 hours," said Franson, before they take another hit or bite. That makes it a lot easier to self-monitor if you're smoking, but far more difficult if you're snacking on a piece of pot-infused chocolate.
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd had a highly publicized experience with edibles last year after ingesting too much of a cannabis infused candy bar left her paranoid and distressed for hours.
