Cannabis edibles can be a highly enjoyable or beneficial experience for many users, but you want to start off your relationship with edibles on the right foot.
Cannabis edibles have different formulations, so some edibles may focus on CBD content, while others could have more THC or other herbal ingredients that may support relaxation or wakefulness.
In this article, you’ll find a convenient chart to help guide you through your journey with edible dosing, but a rule we like to suggest to beginners is to start with a low dose and gradually increase as your body becomes accustomed to the cannabinoids.
THC Edible Dosage Chart By Weight
Following a dosage guide is important to ensure an enjoyable experience. If you take too much, especially before your body builds a tolerance, you may experience negative side effects such as dizziness, nausea, and drowsiness.
There are factors that can affect how much THC you should take like your experience with cannabis and your metabolism, but a great place to start is calculating your dose based on your body weight. Here’s what that could look like:
| Weight Range | Low Dose (mg THC) | Medium Dose (mg THC) | High Dose (mg THC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| < 100 lbs | 1-2.5 mg | 2.5-7.5 mg | 7.5-15 mg |
| 100-150 lbs | 2.5-5 mg | 5-10 mg | 10-20 mg |
| 150-200 lbs | 5-7.5 mg | 7.5-15 mg | 15-30 mg |
| 200-250 lbs | 7.5-10 mg | 10-20 mg | 20-40 mg |
| 250+ lbs | 10-15 mg | 15-30 mg | 30-50 mg |
This chart works for most THC edibles; however, some edibles have different formulations and may contain higher CBD, CBN, or CBG doses and lower THC doses, which may affect how you experience effects. In that case, it’s important also to follow a CBD dosage guide to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.
Types of Doses
Beginner Dosage
As we said, beginners should start with a low dose and gradually increase. But what exactly is a low dose?
For beginners, we recommend sticking with a dose of 2-10 mg of THC when starting. Cutting a gummy or your edible of choice in half is easy to achieve this dose. With a lighter dose, you may find that your mood is lifted, and you may be more sensitive to stimulation, but it should feel subtle and not overwhelming.
Moderate Dosage
For a middle-range THC dosage, a typical recommendation is 10-25 mg. This dosage, when ingested, gives you a full psychoactive experience — euphoria, sensitivity to stimulation, introspection, cravings for food, and giggles.
It’s important to always start at the lower end of this range and adjust based on your response and individual needs.
High Dosage
If you’re looking for a strong THC experience, 50-100 mg is a good place to start. But it’s not for the faint of heart. Usually, people with a longer experience with consuming cannabis or looking for specific health goals with their THC will reach for these higher doses.
At these higher dose ranges, you’ll feel a full-blown cannabis high — and while THC can be relaxing and enjoyable, higher doses when you’re not in the right head-space for it can put you at risk for a bad trip.
We strongly encourage you to always start at the lower end of this range and increase gradually, monitoring how you feel. Always consult with a healthcare professional before taking high doses of THC to ensure safety and appropriateness for your specific health needs.
What to Expect
Weed edibles have a slower onset time and a longer duration time.
While there isn’t a straight answer because it depends on the individual, you can generally expect to start to feel effects anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours after taking the edible. As we said, it is dependent on the individual and specifically these factors:
Weight
We provided an edible dosage guide chart based on weight for a reason.
Your body weight can affect how quickly these compounds are metabolized and distributed throughout your body.
Someone with a higher body weight might require a higher dose to feel the same effects as someone with a lower body weight. This is because larger individuals typically have more body tissue, which can dilute the concentration of the compounds in their bloodstream.
Tolerance
Tolerance develops when your body becomes accustomed to a particular substance, such as THC or CBD, and requires higher doses to achieve the same effects.
If you regularly consume edibles, your body can build up a tolerance to the active compounds over time.
This means that you may need to consume larger doses to feel the same level of effects that you experienced initially. Conversely, if you take a break from using edibles, your tolerance may decrease, and you may find that smaller doses produce stronger effects again.
Metabolism
When you consume an edible, the active compounds, such as THC or CBD, are absorbed into your bloodstream through your digestive system.
From there, they’re metabolized by your liver and other organs before being distributed throughout your body. The rate at which this metabolism occurs can vary from person to person, primarily due to differences in metabolic rate from genetics and baseline health level.
Individuals with faster metabolisms process and eliminate substances more quickly from their bodies. As a result, they may feel the effects of edibles more rapidly but for a shorter duration than those with slower metabolisms.
Conversely, individuals with slower metabolisms may take longer to feel the effects of edibles, but the effects may last longer as the active compounds are metabolized more slowly.
The Takeaway: Edible Dosing
When it comes to dosing edibles, several factors need consideration.
Body weight, tolerance, and metabolism all play critical roles in determining how an individual will respond to a given dose. Starting with a lower dose and gradually increasing as needed while being mindful of one's tolerance and metabolism is essential for achieving the desired effects while minimizing the risk of overconsumption.
Personal experimentation, patience, and awareness of individual differences are key in finding the right dosage for a safe and enjoyable experience with edibles.
