Getting THC Dosing Right: 3 Simple Tricks To A Perfect Buzz

Summary:

• Everyone is different: Don’t assume your dosage will be the same as someone else’s.
• Start small: Establish your tolerance first with one 5mg Gummy.
• Be Patient: Wait at least 2 hours before consuming more THC.
• Enjoy yourself!: Do something fun or relaxing, whatever your mood may be.

Hemp Derived THC has become a staple in many American households. Since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, Hemp derived THC products have been making their way into our lives in the form of Edible treats like Gummies, Cookies, Candies, Chocolate, Seltzers and Vaporizers. Obviously there are many ways to consume these products, but what is the right way?

The truth is: There's no easy answer..

The reason we can’t answer this impossible question is because each and every one of us processes cannabis in different ways. We have different bodies and different preferences that we need to take into account.

What type of feeling are we looking for? How strong do we want to feel that feeling? What kind of time frame am I looking at; am I going to catch a mellow buzz for an hour or two, or am I going to stare at the ceiling for 5 hours contemplating the origins of the universe?

These are the questions we need to be asking ourselves when taking Hemp Derived THC products. This is especially true if you are brand new to THC in general. While we can’t tell you exactly what and how to take THC, we can give you some information to get you off to the right start.

Here are some tips to help your introduction to THC to be as comfortable as possible and satisfactory to your expectations:

Understanding dosage

Dosing is probably the most important aspect to using Cannabis Products. It's definitely the most important part of taking cannabis edibles and can determine if you’re going to have a pleasant experience or one that may be uncomfortable and leave a bad taste in your mouth, pun intended.

The first rule to remember here is that everyone will process edible THC on a vast spectrum. Some people are much more sensitive to THC than others due to a slew of reasons that we’ll get to later on, and so it's important to do something we call “establishing tolerance”. To do this we recommend starting with any of our 5mg options.

Click here to browse 5mg THC edible options

A 5mg edible will give you a good starting point because it is right around the perfect amount to feel the effects of THC but not enough to cause some of the negative side effects that can come with Edible THC like paranoia or anxiety.*

“Well, 5mg just doesn’t sound like very much. My friend says he eats 50mg EASY….”

These are the “famous last words” of someone who forgot the first rule of edibles: Everyone is different. Don’t trust that your experience will be similar to your friend’s.

Start by taking one 5mg portion of whichever edible you choose. The effects of your edible should start to kick in around 20-40 minutes after ingesting. You may feel light, slightly euphoric, or giggly. This is what we call the “onset period”. The onset of THC is always different for every individual. Depending on your mood, your diet that day, the amount of activity you’ve participated in; these factors all play into how long your onset period lasts and how quickly it comes on.

For example: If I eat a gummy on an empty stomach during the day, the onset is typically only about 20 minutes. But ingesting that same gummy right after I eat a big dinner might not garner the onset for an hour. The type of edible plays into it as well. The difference between a gummy and a caramel for instance is noticeable due to the way each person processes fats and sugars.

It’s during this period that many people make the mistake of misjudging the onset as being the full effect of the edible. THC can take up to 2 hours to fully take effect, so it’s crucial that you wait the full two hours before consuming more. What can happen is that you might feel the onset and think that it isn’t very strong and decide to take more. Once all of that THC takes full effect, you may find yourself experiencing some of those negative effects we talked about earlier. All you can do at that point is put on some relaxing music and ride it out.

We’re not going to get to that point though because we are going to wait the full 2 hours right? Right.

After the first two hours have passed and you feel like you’re not getting a strong enough effect, take half of another gummy. Repeat this every hour until you feel a comfortable or desired effect. After you know how much you need to take for the effect you want, you can take that amount on your next go around. This might seem silly, but keep in mind that the point of this exercise is to establish your tolerance and will make taking edibles much more predictable.

Inhalable options like Vaporizers and Flower are much different and in a lot of ways much easier to properly dose due to the rapid onset. People will experience effects from inhaled THC almost immediately, with the onset often being the most intense portion of said experience. As time goes on the effects diminish; It’s almost the opposite of what happens when you eat THC.

To properly get your dosage for inhalables down pat, simply take a small Mouth to Lung puff and wait 10 min.

What is a mouth to lung puff? If you’re a smoker you’ll already know, but for the rest: A mouth to lung hit is when smoke or vapor is drawn into the mouth and then inhaled into the lungs. This method is in contrast to the “direct to lung “ method, in which the smoke or vapor is just directly inhaled.

By using the mouth to lung method we are attempting to control a few things.

Firstly we want to try and get consistent amounts of smoke or vapor. Without being consistent, there's no way for us to accurately establish our tolerance. Secondly, we are taking smaller amounts of THC in each puff so as to not overdo ourselves. And finally, we don’t want to be coughing too hard while we establish tolerance. Excessive coughing can increase blood pressure and thus increase or alter the baseline effect of the THC, so for now let's keep our hits small, consistent, and as smooth as we can.

After 10 minutes, depending on how we are feeling, we can take another small puff. Repeat this process until you’re satisfied. Once you’re feeling good it's time to put your vape in a nice safe place, and go enjoy a hike or curl up with your favorite movie or album and enjoy the ride!

A few final thoughts:

Following this guide is the best way we can help make your first experience an enjoyable one, but it’s not bulletproof. Remember, each person is different. If you ever find yourself in a position where you might have taken a little too much for comfort just know that the effect will pass. Find somewhere nice and quiet to lay down and put on some soothing music or white noise and try to relax.