Drinks and edibles side by side
The serving row comes from chapter 420h of the state's cannabis law, which puts an edible cannabis product and a beverage under the same limit of 5 mg of THC per standardized serving.
| Point of comparison | THC drinks | Edibles |
|---|---|---|
| How you take it | Sipped as a beverage | Eaten as a solid, cuboid or spherical only, no animal shapes |
| THC per standardized serving | Not more than 5 mg | Not more than 5 mg |
| Total THC in a multiple-serving package | Read the label | No more than 100 milligrams |
| Packaging | Child-safe, tamper-resistant and light-resistant | Child-safe, tamper-resistant and light-resistant |
| Time to peak blood THC | Varies by product | Varies by product |
| How long effects last | Varies by product | Varies by product |
| Price and potency | Check the live menu | Check the live menu |
How long each one takes to kick in
Two edibles with the same milligrams can land at different times. In a crossover study of five commercial edible products at 10 mg THC each, the time to reach peak plasma THC ran from 35 to 90 minutes depending on the product. Researchers also saw differences between products in plasma THC concentration during the first 20 to 30 minutes.
Expect a drink to vary by product too, and plan for it the same way: one serving, then wait.
What about a package that says fast-acting? A 2024 content analysis of edible packaging says there is currently no scientific evidence to support fast-acting claims on edible packages. Per that analysis, fast-acting or rapid descriptors appeared on 8% of edible packages reviewed.
Our guide on how long edibles take to kick in goes further into edible timing.
Reading the package before you pick a format
Turn the package over before you decide and check three things:
- Milligrams per serving and servings per package. Under DCP rules, a multiple-serving edible package can hold no more than 100 milligrams of THC in total. On a drink, see whether the can or bottle is one serving or several.
- The two symbols. Look for two DCP-issued symbols on the label: one showing the package contains THC, and one stating it is not safe or legal for people under twenty-one.
- The package itself. DCP requires it to be child-safe, tamper-resistant and light-resistant, and edible packaging cannot appeal to individuals under 21.
Our guide on how to read a Connecticut cannabis label covers each line of a package. DCP also sums up the edible serving and packaging rules on its page about edibles in the adult-use market.
How to choose between a drink and an edible
Start from how you plan to use it, then match the package to that. A few common situations:
- You want one serving and nothing left over. Look for a container the label lists as a single serving. Then there is nothing to measure.
- You want something to sip through an evening. A drink is easy to keep sipping past one serving. If the label shows more than one serving per container, decide before you open it how much you will drink, drink that, and wait.
- You want a pack that lasts several sittings. A multiple-serving edible package lets you take one serving's worth now and put the rest away for another day.
Where to find them on our menu
Drinks and edibles each have their own aisle on our site: the THC drinks aisle and the edibles aisle. On each one, the product list below the article shows live items from the menu of the store you have selected, with a switch to the other store. Prices and potency change often, so we leave them off this page and let the live menu show them.
You can also read about Drink Hi!, our own seltzer line.
Our online ordering is open 24/7 through the Derby live menu and the Hartford live menu. Both stores take cash and debit cards, and the Derby store has an on-site ATM. If you want help comparing a drink with an edible, call us at 860-420-BUDS (2837).
Questions shoppers ask about drinks and edibles
Is a THC drink faster than an edible?
Nobody can promise that it is. The timing study above measured edible products, not the THC drinks we carry, so onset for any drink varies by product.
Can a package store sell me a THC drink?
Only one with a waiver. Since July 1, 2024, only licensed cannabis retailers and package stores with a waiver may sell THC-infused beverages in Connecticut, as DCP explains on its page about who can sell THC-infused beverages. Our guide to Connecticut THC drink laws covers the rest of the rules.