Thanks to the ongoing hard work of cannabis activists, the legal cannabis industry is spreading across the globe. The rise of the legal cannabis industry is being paralleled by an increase in newbies trying cannabis for the first time, and former consumers coming back to cannabis use after a long hiatus. Folks that fit those descriptions, including some patients, often prefer to start with an edible rather than inhale cannabis because of lung-related health concerns, which is understandable. In those instances, how much of a cannabis edible should people eat for the first time?
That seems like a straightforward question for cannabis consumption veterans, yet, it can be a daunting question for someone that is trying to take the leap for the first time. What many people in this situation fail to realize is that edibles can be trickier to deal with compared to inhaling cannabis due to how long it takes for a cannabis edible to kick in. To learn more about how long a cannabis ‘high’ lasts when someone eats cannabis versus inhaling cannabis, check out a previous article that we posted on the topic.
Start Low And Slow With Cannabis Edibles
If there is one piece of advice that you should always have in your mind when consuming cannabis edibles is that you should start low and slow. By that, we mean to start with a very low THC dosage and wait to see how you handle the potential effects. You can always eat more of a cannabis edible to try to yield more effects, however, if you get too high it can lead to a very uncomfortable experience. To learn more about what to do if you get too high from cannabis, check out a previous article that we posted on the topic.
How Are Cannabis Edible Dosage Levels Measured?
Cannabis edibles can contain many cannabinoids. The most important one from an intoxication standpoint is THC. In legal jurisdictions, THC is measured in milligrams, with commonly suggested dosage levels ranging from 5-10 mg. For veteran consumers, 5-10 mg is likely not enough to yield the desired effect. For newbies and returners, 5-10 mg can often be too much.
Different people have different tolerance levels, so starting out with just a piece of an edible that contains 5-10 mg of cannabis is a solid approach. If you feel nothing after an hour, eat more and wait another hour. Repeat the process until you find the right dosage level for your needs.
Couple THC With CBD
If you visit a reputable cannabis dispensary, you will likely see edibles that contain both THC and CBD. For instance, products that are 1:1 (meaning 1 mg of THC for every 1 mg of CBD) are very popular with newbies and returners because the CBD somewhat ‘offsets’ the THC, and people can therefore enjoy more of the edible than if it only contained THC.
Unregulated Edibles
If you live in a jurisdiction where regulated cannabis dispensaries do not yet exist, and you have access to unregulated edibles, proceed with caution. Being that most unregulated edibles have no THC estimate tied to them (or an inaccurate one), it’s very tough to know what to expect when you eat them.
That is not to say that they can’t be of the highest quality (no pun intended), however, there’s a fine line when you are first starting out between ‘this is great’ and ‘I did not want to be this high.’ It’s much more difficult to determine where that line is with unregulated edibles.