If you recently discovered you’re allergic to gluten or prefer not to have it, you’re probably taking stock of what you can and cannot have. If you’re also a cannabis enthusiast, naturally, you’re wondering: Is weed gluten free? Here’s what we know.
Photo: Unsplash
What is Gluten?
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, gluten is a naturally occurring protein in wheat and other grains.
John Hopkins Medicine says gluten is added to food for a specific purpose.
“Gluten is naturally occurring, but it can be extracted, concentrated and added to food and other products to add protein, texture and flavor. It also works as a binding agent to hold processed foods together and give them shape.”
Even though gluten is commonly used and most people can handle gluten, not everyone can.
As Johns Hopkins Medicine points out, some people have an autoimmune response to gluten called celiac disease. Celiac disease can damage your small intestines and cause a host of unpleasant and worrying symptoms such as gas, weight loss, and chronic diarrhea or constipation.
However, celiac disease is not the only reason you may feel sick after eating food with gluten, and should avoid it.
Some people don’t have celiac disease but experience gastrointestinal discomfort after eating foods with gluten.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, this is non-celiac gluten sensitivity (gluten intolerance).
Selvi Rajagopal, M.D., M.P.H. told Johns Hopkins Medicine that you should avoid gluten if it’s causing your discomfort.
Rajagopal also says that avoid gluten if you have a wheat allergy or gluten ataxia, an autoimmune disease that attacks part of your brain in response to gluten.
Mayo Clinic says if you’re allergic to gluten, that means avoiding foods that contain:
- Wheat
- Barley
- Rye
- Oats (sometimes)
- Triticale
You may think you don’t regularly consume foods with these ingredients, but you’d be surprised.
Mayo Clinic says unless the following foods are labeled gluten free, you should leave them out of your diet:
- Hot dogs and processed lunch meat
- Bread
- Pasta
- French fries
- Sauces
- Salad dressing
- Soup mixes
- Cookies
- Crackers
Is Weed Actually Gluten Free?
Yes!
The weed plant is not associated with or related to grains; therefore, you can eat or consume weed products if you’re wary of gluten.
Therefore, you can have a blunt without aggravating your gluten allergy.
However, that does not mean that products with weed are automatically gluten free.
For example, brownies and cookies infused with weed are not usually gluten free since they use flour that has gluten.
If you’re looking for gluten free edibles, make sure that you get confirmation from the source that they are made without gluten.
Unfortunately, some things that are labeled gluten free may still be affected by cross-contamination.
According to Very Well Health, hemp is often used to make gluten free baked goodies, but it’s susceptible to cross-contamination.
“Many farmers who cultivate hemp also cultivate gluten grains, and they use the same fields and the same equipment for both hemp and their gluten grains.”
You may wonder if weed plants can be cross-contaminated with grains and not be gluten-free anymore.
It’s possible but unlikely, according to Very Well Health.
“The farmers growing weed (both legally and illegally, depending on the state) generally aren’t also growing grains like wheat and corn. So pure marijuana should be gluten-free.”
Are Weed Gummies Gluten-Free?
Not necessarily.
According to Cook Unity, gummies are usually made with glucose syrup containing gluten.
However, gluten free alternatives such as Ferrara gummies and Bob’s Sweet Stripes exist.
If you’re getting your weed gummies from a dispensary, double-check with them if they are gluten free.
Gluten-Free Weed Brownie Recipe
Don’t worry if you can’t find gluten free brownies in your area; it’s easy to make your own gluten free brownies at home.
You can check out our weed brownie recipe and dosage instructions to learn how to make delicious gluten free weed brownies.
All you have to do to make it gluten free is replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten free alternative.
Bettina’s Kitchen says to explore the following gluten free flour alternatives:
- Almond flour/ almond meal
- Buckwheat flour
- Coconut flour
- Rice flour
- Tapioca flour
- Oat flour
- Millet flour
- Quinoa flour
- Chickpea flour
Experiment and pick the one you love the most, and you’ll always have gluten free weed brownies on hand.
Photo: Unsplash
Takeaway
Is weed gluten free? Yes, it is. However, that does not mean weed-infused products are automatically gluten free. As a matter of fact, they probably aren’t. Blunts and dabs are safe for people with a gluten allergy, but most edibles are not. Most edibles are made with regular flour, which has gluten. Therefore, before you purchase any weed-infused food or drink, double-check to ensure it is gluten free. Even then, there is a small chance of cross-contamination. If all else fails, you can make gluten free edibles at home.
