A Guide to Safe Dosing with Cannabis Edibles
“It doesn’t matter who you are or what size you are,” said Dan Meinerz, partnership manager with tourism company My 420 Tours. “Edibles are going to affect everybody differently.”
When you’re consuming cannabis you must understand that edibles are an entirely different ballgame than smoking or vaping. It’s not understanding just how cannabis works in the body, how potent edibles can be, and carelessness by the consumer, that can lead to bad situations such as the experience had by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, which took the internet by storm when legal cannabis first went on sale in Colorado in 2014.
“For an hour, I felt nothing […] But then I felt a scary shudder go through my body and brain. I barely made it from the desk to the bed, where I lay curled up in a hallucinatory state for the next eight hours.”
This is why Colorado, Oregon and other states that have legalized cannabis for recreational use, including Nevada, have taken an innovative approach to ensuring new cannabis users have the best experience possible. Campaigns including blogs, brochures, YouTube videos and educated cannabis industry workers – especially budtenders – are an integral part of ensuring safety when consuming cannabis edibles.
In Colorado, it’s the slogan “Start Low, Go Slow” – meaning start with a low dose of cannabis – the recommended is usually 5-10 milligrams for a first-time consumer – and wait at least two hours before consuming any more cannabis. This will give your body time to process the THC into what is called 11-hydroxy-THC, which is a more potent than regular THC-A, which is what you inhale when smoking or vaping.
In Oregon, the “Take Five” campaign is basically than same concept – suggesting new consumers start with 5 milligrams and work their way up. More seasoned cannabis consumers should also realize that a tolerance to smoking or vaping, will not necessarily translate to a tolerance to edibles since they are caused by a different active cannabinoid. This is also the reason that the “high” you experience from an edible is slightly different than what you experience when smoking or vaping.
The Green Joint has this handy chart for cannabis edible tolerance – but notice that even Daily or Medicinal users are not suggested to start with more than 10-15 milligrams at a time.
Evergreen Organix Fruit Chews are perfect for new cannabis consumers, as they are dosed at 10 milligrams per piece. They are perfect for both medicinal and recreational users, so keep an eye out for our next blog post to learn what sets these fruit chews apart from other cannabis gummies!