At MMC, we do not want you to feel like cannabis dosing or choice of consumption should feel scary, intimidating or out-right foreign. Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you are new to edibles, we want to make sure that your first experience is successful.
Below is a five-step guide that will walk you through the fundamentals of dosing cannabis edibles.
1. Read the Package Dosing Guidelines Carefully
Don’t consume an edible blindly, although you can’t die from cannabis you still want to be able to function. The best way to learn your gage is to start low, we recommend 5 mg. As a rule of thumb the legal market gauges THC/CBD content in terms of milligrams.
Cannabis edibles are often found in the following dose intervals: 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg, 80 mg, and 100 mg. A “standard dose” is considered to be 10 mg, but someone new to cannabis may have a low-tolerance and we recommend starting with half of that.
Our veteran and medical patients tend to need higher doses because they use cannabis as medicine, but despite what category you fall into we recommend starting low and building up.
Micro-dosing is always another option, which is when you take 3-7mg’s at a time so that you don’t feel ‘high’. This method is used to gently stimulate the body which can improve mood, focus, appetite, and creativity. Some medical patients state that micro-dosing is the most effective method to alleviate their symptoms.
2. Factor in Your Tolerance
Once you have figured out what your tolerance is, stick to it. If you want to try more do it in smaller batches. Don’t try to “keep up” with more experienced consumers. Experienced, high-tolerance consumers not only need a higher dose to achieve desired effects, they also tend to be a lot more resilient to THC-induced side effects. If you have a low THC tolerance you can experience negative side effects like paranoia, anxiety, and dizziness—which is not fun.
3. Be Patient and Excersise Restraint
It takes about 30-50 minutes for the edible to kick in depending on various factors including how you metabolize food. Wait this amount of time before you take anymore and write down somewhere how much you took so you know what to take next time.
It is super important that you wait for the edible to kick in before you take any more—especially when you are consuming edibles that do not have any cannabis taste. It can take up to 12 hours for the effects of edibles to leave the body if you consume too much, so it is important to keep this in mind the next time you start snacking on tasteless edibles.
Waiting out the edible increases the likelihood that you’ll have a positive and in-control experience with cannabis. As stated above, body fat and metabolism vary between individuals and it’s hard to determine when an edible will kick in. It could be 30 minutes later, or it could take over two hours.
4. Consider What You Have Eaten Prior
Before you consume an edible you should consider how much you’ve eaten and what you’ve had to drink. An empty stomach means your edible may kick in more swiftly, and if this is the case, maybe think about starting with half a dose.
Another thing to keep in mind is how much alcohol you’ve had to drink. Alcohol can increase THC blood concentration significantly, so dose modestly if you plan on mixing the two!
5. Enjoy Edibles in a Comfortable Place
Edibles are great because they are portable and discreet but for people who are new to edibles you want to ensure that you are eating and enjoying them in a comfortable setting.
If you are going to try a larger dose it’s best that you try it at home and among familiar faces. It’s always a good idea to have your best friend or partner there with you, especially if it’s your first time. The presence of a loved one helps keep any anxiety-related side effects at bay.
If you do become uncomfortably high despite following these guidelines, don’t panic!
Read Leafly’s 8 Ways to Counteract a Too-Intense Cannabis High, and know that trial-and-error is often an integral part of finding that perfect experience!
Contact MMC today for more info on how you can obtain a medical cannabis license! associates@medmc.ca or 1 (844) 312-5143
