If you’ve downloaded a few apps to calculate your medical marijuana dose, you may be surprised to learn that the most accurate one is still your own body—and for good reason.
Navigating medical marijuana dosage is a complex, personal process because no universal ‘dosage calculator’ exists. Unlike conventional medications with specified dosages, an effective and safe dose of cannabis is highly personal. This is because everyone’s endocannabinoid system is unique.
Medical professionals endorse the principle of titration when finding a person’s optimal dose. The approach is simple: Start low and go slow. You begin with a very small dose and steadily increase it until you reach the desired effect while keeping side effects to a minimum.
The unique body chemistry, genetics, tolerance, and the specific medical condition being treated are significant factors that can determine the right amount of medical marijuana that you should take. The product’s chemical composition, particularly the ratio of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), is also crucial. Many experts recommend a twice-daily CBD-dominant product regimen for beginners.
To determine a personal dose, it’s best to start with a minimal amount, such as 2.5–5 mg of THC or less (if you are sensitive) in an edible, and wait up to 3–4 hours for the full effect before taking more. It is also important to keep a detailed journal of the dose, consumption time, and its effects. Ultimately, the most responsible way to approach dosing is to consult a qualified medical professional who can provide personalized guidance that will be tailored to your specific health needs.
Researchers have confirmed that consuming high doses of THC directly increases the risk of acute side effects, including anxiety, paranoia, rapid heartbeat, and even psychosis. Proper dosing is essential for patient safety — to stay within a therapeutic range that provides benefits without inducing these negative effects.
Calculating cannabis dosage is also crucial for ensuring efficacy and predictability, as a consistent and correct dose allows patients to achieve the intended relief for their condition, rather than to experience outcomes that are inconsistent or unpredictable.
In the long term, careful dosing is key to managing tolerance. Consistent use of high doses can make your body less sensitive to cannabinoids, requiring larger amounts to achieve the same result. Titrating and using the lowest effective dose helps patients maintain the drug’s therapeutic value over time.
Finally, it helps to avoid the biphasic effect — a phenomenon where a low dose provides a desired effect (e.g., calmness) while a high dose can produce the opposite (e.g., agitation).
The first part of the calculation is setting a low, safe starting point. This approach is recommended by experts to prevent adverse effects.
You must give the cannabis time to take effect before deciding on the next dose. Edible routes can take around an hour to kick in, and may last 3–4 hours or more. If inhaled, wait at least 15 minutes before taking more.
If you feel the desired effect, your calculation is complete for that session, and you have found a dose that works, which you can repeat in the future.
However, adjust gradually if your starting dose does not provide the desired relief. You can gradually increase it. Most experts recommend increasing the dose by no more than 2.5 mg of THC or less at a time for future sessions until you find the right balance between therapeutic effect and side effects.
CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBN, and other “C-letter” cannabinoids are nonintoxicating and can be increased by 2.5–5 mg per day, usually taken twice daily.
For inhaled products, you can try an additional puff. 15–30 minutes after the first puff, try 2–3 puffs every 15–30 minutes, and with experience, you can increase to 3–5 puffs. Effects of inhaled routes usually last around 1–2 hours.
This is where you create your personal “formula” over time in a personal journal. For each session, record:
Please note that the real “formula” for your dose is the specific amount you find through a careful process of paying attention and making small adjustments from these steps.
Read: Keeping a Medical Cannabis Journal: Tips for Tracking Consumption
Various personal and product-related factors directly shape each person’s ideal cannabis dose.
A person’s genetics and metabolism are key biological factors that influence their response to cannabinoids. Additionally, tolerance and the body’s natural endocannabinoid system vary among individuals, which directly impacts the required dose.
Product-specific factors also play a critical role. The method of consumption, such as inhalation versus ingestion, significantly changes how the body absorbs and metabolizes cannabinoids. Additionally, any present terpenes, dietary fat, and eating on a full stomach can also increase absorption. The combination of both the internal and external factors is why a personalized dosing approach is essential.
Medical marijuana dosage primarily uses milligrams (mg) of cannabinoids, especially THC and CBD. Manufacturers apply this measurement in two main ways, depending on the product type.
For edibles, tinctures, capsules, and other ingestible products, they should label and measure the dosage in milligrams per serving or per piece. This approach gives patients the most reliable way to achieve a consistent and predictable dose. However, some manufacturers will choose to just put the total milligrams present in the entire product (e.g. 100mg, 200mg THC) on the label, and then expect you to do the math per serving.
In contrast, producers measure inhaled products like cannabis flower and concentrates by percentage by weight. For example, a cannabis strain labeled 20% THC contains 200 mg of THC per gram. However, each puff or inhalation delivers a variable amount, making it harder to measure accurately or standardize hits.
Currently, it is not possible to standardize cannabis treatments. However, experts have come up with potential algorithms and general recommendations for other providers.
The recommended approach is to start with products that are high in CBD or CBG and very low in THC. This aims to avoid the anxiety-inducing effects that can occur with moderate to high doses of THC.
The approach often involves individual variations and a personalized approach. Recommendations include starting with a CBD-dominant product before gradually introducing THC to find a balance that relieves pain with minimal psychoactive effects.
A moderate to high THC ratio may be used to address specific symptoms like nightmares and insomnia, but with a strong emphasis on careful and slow titration to avoid increasing anxiety. Having comparable amounts of CBD and CBG could be helpful for mitigating THC-induced anxiety, as well as the terpenes present in full-spectrum products.
A higher ratio of THC and terpenes like myrcene is often considered more effective due to their sedative properties, as supported by studies on sleep quality and cannabis.
This is a specialized area of medicine where very high doses of CBD are used, often under strict medical supervision due to Epidiolex’s strict FDA approval for specific seizure disorders. Nonpharmaceutical hemp oils are not yet shown to be as effective.
The preferred approach is often a balanced (1:1) THC:CBD ratio to help manage symptoms like spasticity and pain without excessive psychoactive effects.
To determine how much THC or CBD to take, find the right amount by starting with a very low dose and gradually increasing it while observing the effects.
There is no standard medical marijuana dosage because an effective dose depends on individual factors such as a person’s unique genetics, metabolism, and tolerance, the specific medical condition being treated. Dosage also varies based on the type of product, as the same amount of THC can have different effects depending on whether it’s in an edible or a vape.
The recommended starting dose for edibles is 2.5 mg of THC or less. It’s crucial to wait at least one to two hours for the effects to set in before taking more, as the ideal dose is highly personal and is found by starting low and gradually increasing it.
Many patients use medical marijuana daily for chronic conditions to manage continuous symptoms. However, this practice can lead to tolerance, requiring higher doses over time. It also carries risks of physical dependence, a potential for developing cannabis use disorder (CUD), and other long-term health effects. Any decision to use it daily should be made in consultation with a medical professional.
For anxiety, a low-THC, high-CBD dose is often recommended. For pain, a balanced or higher THC dose may be more effective. The correct dosage must be found through a personalized process.
Taking too much marijuana may cause temporary symptoms like anxiety, paranoia, a rapid heartbeat, or nausea. If this happens, the best steps are to stay calm, find a safe and comfortable space, and drink water. If you experience severe symptoms like chest pain or difficulty breathing, you should seek immediate medical attention.
There is no standard safe dosage of medical marijuana for seniors, as they are more sensitive to its effects due to a slower metabolism and potential drug interactions. A safe approach is to begin with a very small dose of 1 to 2.5 mg of THC or less, and preferably using CBD-dominant products. It is essential to consult with a healthcare professional before starting.
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