Are Cannabis-infused Edibles Safer Than Smoking?

 NY Times - Cannabis-infused chocolate fountains are flowing at weddings. “Budtenders” are pouring cannabis cocktails. And as sales of edibles are trending up, cannabis brands are emphasizing the idea that the products might offer a healthier alternative to bongs or blunts.“Edibles allow you to enjoy cannabis without the negative side effects of smoking,” reads the website of Kiva, which makes cannabis chocolate bars and fruit-flavored gummies. Consumers are increasingly asking whether that’s the case, but the answer is complicated. There’s little research comparing the health effects of edibles and smoking head-to-head. What we do know so far largely comes from limited data, anecdotes and inferences from researchers and clinicians.“There’s tons of nuance there,” said Ryan Vandrey, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine who studies cannabis. “You can’t black and white say edibles are safer than smoking, or smoking is worse than vaping — there are different risks for the different routes