Edibles dosage is always a touch-and-go topic, and even more so now with Cannabis 2.0 releasing a whole slew of new cannabis products.
Consuming cannabis in edible form can make for an extremely enjoyable and relaxing experience but can also create undesirable side effects, especially if you’re unaccustomed to how much you should be taking in the first place!
The effects of “overdosing” on weed can seem catastrophic at worst to the uninitiated and unpleasant at best to seasoned cannabis veterans.
With all that being said, in order to experience a good time with edibles, you need to find a good dose for yourself.
There is no Perfect Dose
Despite what your friends might tell you, there really isn’t a perfect, one-size-fits-all edibles dosage for everyone. A lot of factors come into play when it comes to edibles.
This can include but is not limited to the physiologic environment (where you’re doing the edibles and who you’re doing the edibles dosage with), your own physiology (how much body fat you have and how your body processes cannabinoids) and even whether or not you’ve eaten that day.
To confound this further, the types of edibles that you eat also have an effect on how your body handles it, including determining how long and how strong the effects last for.
At the end of the day, it’s your own body’s endocannabinoid system that dictates how well or how poorly your body handles the cannabinoids found within an edibles dosage.
How do Edibles Work?
Unlike smoking or vaping flower or cannabis concentrates, weed edibles work in a vastly different way.
When you’re smoking or vaping cannabis, the THC within the smoke and vapour enters into your lungs and diffuses across your entire body, entering into the bloodstream and into your endocannabinoid system.
When you’re eating an edible, it’s not THC that enters into your system, but 11-Hydroxy-Metabolite – an entirely different cannabinoid compound that affects your system differently.
This is why even if you’re a seasoned smoker, you should never bite off more than you can chew for your first, second or even third time. Your body might be well adapted at handling THC, but it might not be equipped at handling the 11-Hydroxy-Metabolite found within an edibles dosage.
What’s a Good Edibles Dosage?
Like we’ve mentioned before, there really is not hard and fast rule when it comes to edibles.
Save for one – start low and go slow.
Sure, you might want to feel the effects right away and want to reach for a second one to speed up the process, but this will only prove detrimental to your overall experience.
Here are some general rules and effects of how the amount of edibles you eat will affect your experience.
1 – 2.5mg THC
A perfect starter amount for those who have no prior experience with edibles. First time users should stick within this range and move up from here. Effects include mild psychoactivity and relief from stress, anxiety and pain.
2.5 – 15 mg THC
This is a stepping off point for users to determine their own tolerance. You’ll notice that the range is quite large compared to the first dosage. This is deliberate due to the fact that this is considered a standard recreational edibles dosage. Depending on how potent you want your recreational experience to be, you can play around within this range to find an edibles dosage amount that works for you
15 – 50 mg THC
Edibles dosages in this range are meant for recreational users with a high tolerance for edibles or for those looking for strong relief from symptoms such as pain, anxiety, insomnia and stress. At this range, you’ll be heavily impaired – walking might be difficult and speech may be slurred. Thoughts will be slowed and you may have difficulty processing difficult thoughts or questions.
50 – 100 mg THC
When you’re consuming this much, you might be in for a green out if you’re not prepared. After consuming a 50 – 100mg THC edibles dosage, you can expect the majority of your day to be gone as you try to mediate the effects of this intense dose without either falling asleep or being locked to your couch. If you’re consuming this much, chances are that you either have serious medical symptoms that you’re seeking relief from such as cancer, serious inflammation or intense insomnia.
What’s Your Edibles Dosage?
If there’s a common theme throughout this article, it’s that there is no right answer in deciding your edibles dosage. The best way to find out is to just start low, wait up to 2 hours for the effects to kick in and then consume more if you feel like the effects are not up to your expectations.
Despite your experience level or perceived level of tolerance, edibles can turn any night into a bad one, and we have no one to blame but our own hubris for biting off more than we can chew.
To sum it up, it depends more on your own self-control and confidence than the edibles itself.
For the best results, consume edibles in an environment where you’re comfortable and with friends you can trust, have available access to water and remember that if you consume too much, it’s just weed and you don’t need any medical assistance to sober up other than a quick nap.
