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Mashed potatoes, cranberries and mac and cheese are considered staples on the Thanksgiving table, but some households will add cannabis-infused gravy, butters and other cannabis treats to their turkey dinner.

Known as “Danksgiving,” the trend of combining marijuana or CBD edibles with the traditional meal has taken off in recent years. And with the stress of the holidays, coupled with pot’s well-known ability to bring on the munchies, it makes sense, some say.

“The sort of unofficial cannabis holiday is 4/20. But Thanksgiving, or ‘Danksgiving,’ is equally, if not more popular, actually,” said Rob Mejia, the founder of the educational cannabis group Our Community Harvest, which has helped to host several CBD-infused food events in New Jersey. “When you look at something like Thanksgiving, it’s a time of celebration, but it’s also a time of great stress.”

From hosting duties to traveling ordeals to dealing with difficult relatives, the stresses of the holiday season have regular marijuana users often turning to cannabis, he said. And online guides to hosting a cannabis-infused Thanksgiving have become a regular site this time of year, with recipes for dishes such as “stoner stuffing” and “Mary Jane mashed potatoes.”

A California edibles company, Kiva Confections, unveiled limited edition cannabis-infused turkey gravy this year. The 10 mg packet is designed as a high-speed edible, allowing someone who eats it to begin feeling the effects in two to 15 minutes. The gravy is for now only available in California.

“Awkward family dinner conversation? In just under 15 minutes you’ll start feeling the effects, so you can sit back, relax, and let the holiday cheer wash over you,” Kiva’s site said of the product.

Mejia said the trend has become more popular since states began legalizing marijuana in 2012. Following legitimization, chefs stepped into the edibles industry, transforming it from a world of mysterious “space cakes” to one of reliably-dosed and tasty cuisine.

Commercial products are available in states where weed is legal, but some people have taken to making the products at home.

Mejia recommends infusing appetizers, as that will boost appetite for the main courses, and also desserts, closing the meal with a relaxing last bite and allowing people to relax.

Tara Sargente, the executive director of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association and owner of Blazin’ Bakery, a legal business selling brownie mixes to cook with cannabis, said it’s a trend she has thought about, but has yet to try.

“The two ways you can infuse THC [the active ingredient in marijuana that makes a user feel high] is through a fat or an alcohol,” she said. “When you think of Thanksgiving Dinner, it’s one of those meals that everything on the table has butter in it.”

With legal weed on hold for at least another year, CBD, or cannabidiol, dinners might be the route cooks start taking in New Jersey. Easily accessible, the legal, more mild cannabinoid that does not make a user feel high but is marketed for relaxation, would likely receive a more favorable reception at family dinner.

Both Mejia and Sargente said THC dinners are more likely to find popularity for “Friendsgiving” rather than family gatherings for now, given the generational divide on marijuana opinions. But the holidays also bring opportunities for educating family members, or maybe even experiment -- under the right conditions.

“I think if you could do a very low dose, accurate, edible for Thanksgiving, where people maybe just felt like they had a glass wine, that would be fabulous,” Sargente said. “If you misjudge, and all the sudden Aunt Betty is sideways on the couch, and you ruin Thanksgiving, that could be tragic.”

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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