The process of finding the right dosage of cannabis is not always easy and requires a lot of practice and experimentation. Things get even more difficult when it comes to edibles, because consuming the wrong dose may result in you spending the whole day in bed due to a wide range of adverse side effects. Cannabis by itself is not harmful. However, the awful experience you get after consuming the wrong dose of edibles is something that you definitely want to avoid.
Conversely, getting the dose right will allow you to enjoy a wide range of health benefits like relief from anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. How do you find the correct dose for cannabis edibles?
Cannabinoids like CBD and THC are metabolized by everyone differently. A dose that may be ideal for one individual can be intolerable for another. Over time consumers may develop a higher tolerance for cannabinoids, meaning that an ideal dose for an experienced user is different compared to a beginner’s.
Experiencing negative side effects of incorrect dosing can be avoided by beginning with a recommended dose of 2 mg. Wait an hour or two to see what happens, and then take an additional dose of 2 mg if you feel it necessary.
Different individuals process and metabolize cannabinoids at different rates. Typically, most users begin to feel the psychoactive effects of THC between the 5 mg and 10 mg dose range. Gender, weight, height and age may all play a role in this. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) breaks down THC quite rapidly, meaning that a dangerous overdose of cannabis is highly unlikely.
If you consume too many edibles, you may begin to feel uncomfortable. Paranoia, nausea, and anxiety are some negative side effects of consuming too much cannabis.
It’s important to know the composition of both THC and CBD in each of your concentrates or flower if you are making your own cannabis edibles using raw cannabis or extract. Edibles from a dispensary often have the composition listed in milligrams or as a percentage.
Using this formula, we can calculate the number of cannabinoids in each serving:
For example, 500 mg of concentrate with a THC composition of 70 percent contains 350 mg of THC.
Example: 2 grams of a concentrate with 70% THC composition, should give you about 1400 mg of THC: (2 x 0.70) x 1,000 = 1400.
For tinctures and extracts, you can use this formula:
Example: With tinctures, if you have an 800 mg target dose with a 40 mg/mL THC oil, the calculation is 800 ÷ 40 = 20.0 mL. With extracts, if you have a 200 mg target dose with an 800 mg/g THC extract, the calculation is 200/800 = 0.25 g. You will need to convert percentages into milligrams per gram when calculating extracts.
While there’s no maximum dose per se, you should go low and slow with cannabis edibles and preferably keep your doses to a between 10 - 20 milligrams per day.