Legal marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S., which means that more and more of us are now in a position to get our hands on pot. Now that we’ve got it, however, not everybody knows what to do with it. Do we smoke it or eat it? And does it make a difference?

As it turns out, it does. When it comes to a marijuana high, smoking a joint and munching a brownie are two whole different biological ballgames.

First, a caution: “legal,” here, is still a limited term. Medical marijuana, right now, is legal (or at least decriminalized) in 23 states. Recreational weed, on the other hand, is legal in just four—Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and