Cannabis in edible form including gummies, brownies, mints, cookies, drinks, think any food products, are incredibly discreet and can produce safe long-lasting effects when consumed responsibly and when you know how much you are consuming. Unfortunately, edibles can lead to some trouble if you aren’t careful, we’ve all known someone (maybe even yourself) who’s taken too much or thought “this edible ain’t nothin’” and ended up like the meme. We know, it’s hard to gauge their potency, and yes, some of them are very VERY delicious. Eating too many isn’t going to hurt your body, but unwanted or unpleasant effects from edibles can be avoided if you know the dose of the product and what dose of edible works best for you and the situation you are going into.
How many milligrams of edibles should you eat? Something very important to remember is that each individual person has an ideal dose best suited for them and their body. The strength of an edible depends on multiple factors, including the type of edible, dosage, tolerance, metabolism, and body weight. Two people may respond very differently to the same type of edible with the same dose—one may get stoned out of their mind and become one with the couch and one may not feel a thing, depending on those factors. Everyone is on their own unique cannabis journey, always start with a small dose of edibles and listen to your body as you go, gradually increasing until you find your ideal dose.
Here we’ve created a handy chart to help you find the right dose for your ideal high, measured in milligrams (mg).
So how much of an edible should you take the first time? If you have never taken edibles before we always say start small, 2.5mg is the perfect dose to begin with since it’s half of what typically a single dose is. Edibles in dispensaries often come in 5mg or 10g doses, so we recommend you buy gummies or another type of edible that can be cut up easily to make smaller doses. It’s always good to make sure you can visibly see the dosage on the label as well. “Start low and go slow”: wait at least an hour after taking edibles to check in with yourself to determine if you feel anything or want stronger effects before taking another 2.5mg. Edibles usually take 45-60 minutes to kick in, but it can take longer. Remember, if you take more edibles before waiting for the initial dose’s effects to kick in, both doses will kick in later and you could potentially feel too high.
How long do the effects last? Well the length of an edible high depends on the dose of the edible taken as well as your tolerance, body chemistry, and metabolism. For the moderate consumer, a 5mg dose will typically last 2-3 hours. If you have a high tolerance or fast metabolism, your high might come down quicker. For someone with a lower tolerance or a slow metabolism that 5mg edible might stick around longer. When experimenting with edibles it’s important to take note of how much you take to get a sense of how strong that dose is for you and how long it will last. This will help you figure out the ideal dose for you.
