Looking for the best ways to celebrate 4/20, the ultimate weed lover’s day? Look no further.

If you’re a frequent cannabis user, you most likely look forward to 4/20 every year. This year, you have an entire month to celebrate the infamous holiday. What better way to spend it with cannabis-related activities to help compliment your high or keep you calm. Some people like to use cannabis to ease their stress away or use it to help other common ailments. Others like to use it for social reasons. No matter what reason you turn to cannabis for, we think you’ll find something to help you relax during the month.

But with the COVID-19 outbreak, it might be best to avoid filling your lungs with smoke. If you’re at home quarantining, now is an ideal time to learn how to infuse your own cannabis edibles. Whether you use weed or cannabidiol (CBD), we have some ideas to keep you entertained.

So sit back, get comfy, and enjoy cloud 9.

Cannabis 101

Most cannabis users know all about the benefits of marijuana, CBD or hemp. For those of you who are new to this, here are some quick facts/tips:

• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): the psychoactive compound found within the resin glands of the cannabis plant
• Cannabinoids: active and medicinally beneficial compounds in both cannabis and hemp plants.
• Cannabidiol (CBD): the cannabinoid in cannabis plants with medicinal properties but no psychedelic effects
• Hemp: type of cannabis plant high in CBD but containing little THC
• Marijuana: cannabis plant containing more than 0.3% THC

Cannabis can be used to help with various conditions, such as:

• seizures
• pain
• inflammation
• nausea
• depression
• anxiety
• insomnia
• appetite

For more information on cannabis, how it works, proper dosages, and more, check out Healing with CBD.

Cooking with CBD

While taking CBD oil under the tongue is certainly effective, most people find the bitter taste extremely unpleasant. Fortunately, that taste can be masked entirely by adding the oil to food or beverages—which is what this book is all about. In the following pages you’ll find all sorts of delicious options for adding CBD to your meals.

For anyone wondering why go through the trouble of infusing CBD into food when you can simply smoke or vape it for immediate relief:

1. Taking CBD in food increases its bioavailability. Compared to smoking or vaping, taking CBD in or with food offers a more stable, consistent daily dosing schedule. According to a study published in 2018, CBD’s absorption rate increases when it is “administered with food” or when a meal is eaten right after the CBD is consumed. The study concluded that food is required for “optimal absorption” of CBD.

2. Infusing CBD in food is discreet. You can’t smoke or vape everywhere, but you can snack on CBD edibles practically anywhere.

3. Eating CBD doesn’t harm the lungs. If you have a cough, cold, sinus infection, or medical condition that doesn’t allow you to smoke at all, or if your lungs are highly sensitive to smoke, then smoking your medication isn’t really an option. But we all have to eat and drink, and adding CBD to foods and beverages won’t irritate the lungs.

4. It’s effective longer. While smoking CBD can give immediate relief, the effect can fade within an hour. When taken with food, however, the medication stays in your body much longer. You might be able to skip smoking altogether once you figure out the best times of the day to include CBD in your food.

5. You have more control over dosages. If you know your CBD-infused snack will give you three hours of relief, you can plan your day better. Plus, having your medication in your food can minimize the stress of keeping track of how much CBD oil you have on hand.

6. You might save money! Since the medication lasts much longer when it’s ingested than when it’s vaped or smoked, you may not need to purchase it as much or as often.

Once you’ve got the basics down, it’s time to make your own CBD butter and oil and incorporate it into your foods and drinks. Cooking with CBD has step-by-step instructions and helpful tips and advice to transform your recipes.

Read an excerpt here to learn how to infuse CBD into your food. For more recipes, check out Cooking with CBD.

Fun Activities to Enjoy On 4/20

Now that most of us are quarantining and at home with a lot of free time, this would be the perfect time to learn something new. Can you make the perfect batch of weed brownies? Or, maybe it’s time to practice self-care or meditate. Whatever you choose, here are a few activities to help keep you busy.

Infuse Cannabutter into Your Foods for the Best High

The best part about making your own weed butter and edibles is that the potency is up to your own personal choice and preference. The first thing you’ll need to do is decarboxylate your cannabis material. This requires you to bake your own weed, which allows the THC or CBD to activate.

Here’s What You Need:

• desired amount of weed (1/4 ounce, 1/2 ounce, or 1 ounce)
• hand grinder or scissors
• glass baking dish or sheet pan
• oven

What To Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºF.

2. Gently break apart the desired amount of weed using a hand-grinder, scissors, or with hands until it’s the perfect consistency for rolling a joint — fine, but not too fine. Anything too fine will slip through cheesecloth (or a joint, for that matter). You want your canna butter and oil to be clean and as clear as possible.

3. Evenly spread your plant material onto the glass baking dish or sheet pan. Pop in the oven on the center rack for 20 minutes if using old or lower quality weed; 45 minutes for cured, high-grade weed; or 1 hour or more for anything that has been recently harvested and is still wet.

4. Check on the weed frequently while it’s in the oven, gently mixing it every 10 minutes so as to not burn it. You will notice that the color of your herb will change from bright green to a deep brownish green. That’s when you know it has decarboxylated.

From here, you’ll be able to infuse your weed in several different ways (using alcohol, with a slow cooker, on the stovetop, etc.) Once you have the basics done, you can begin infusing you’re foods with cannabis. The Art of Weed Butter offers tips and recipes to help you get started.

Download recipes here.

Get Lit with Wiz Khalifa

Once you have consumed your edibles and they have kicked in, you can enjoy some downtime with calming activities, such as coloring. Wiz Khalifa’s Weed Farm Coloring Book offers many pages of favorite strains, like Khalifa Kush, and special events, like Danksgiving and Wiz’s Birthday.

Download coloring pages here.

Chill Out with Cannabis

And, for moms around the world who want a seat at the table, Weed Mom is the perfect companion for learning all about THC, dispensaries, micro-dosing, edibles, and how to incorporate it all into a healthy family life. Cannabis and self-care go hand in hand. One great activity to consider while high is yoga.

Download yoga techniques for maximum relaxation here.

-Tyanni Niles