While it can be fun to get really freaking high at times, it’s not always the most beneficial or productive option. That doesn’t mean you have to swear off your weed habit. Instead, you can use it to your benefit by microdosing.
If you’ve heard the term microdosing before, it’s likely been in the context of psychedelic substances. Microdosing involves taking a small fraction of a regular, intoxicating dose of a substance. It’s not enough to get you high; it’s just enough to produce positive effects for your mood, creativity, focus, and more. At least, that’s the goal.
Although microdosing most commonly refers to psychedelics, you can microdose pretty much anything if you set your mind to it. Many people have turned to microdosing cannabis for its impacts on their mood, concentration, and pain. Because microdosing is not meant to get you high, it’s a popular choice for those who need a little boost without the buzz.
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Microdose vs. low dose
Before we dive into microdosing basics, let me emphasize this once more: microdosing doesn’t get you high. If you eat a little less of your favorite THC gummies and end up feeling giggly, munchy, and sleepy, you didn’t microdose. You regular-dosed, even if it’s less than you normally consume.
You can still be productive under the influence of cannabis (wake and bake and deep clean, anybody?) But it’s not the same as microdosing.
Microdosing works best with edibles and tinctures
You can microdose cannabis by using just a fraction of what you’d normally consume to make sure you don’t get high. In general, edibles and tinctures work best because you can control your dosage.
You technically can microdose by smoking or vaping weed, too. It’s not the best choice for most people, though, because it can be difficult to gauge just how much you consume. Plus, who wants to light up a joint and stop after the first puff? That’s just teasing yourself.
What are the benefits of microdosing cannabis?
Some studies have found that cannabis has biphasic effects, where high doses and low doses offer completely different results. Small doses may provide relief from anxiety, for example, whereas high doses can lead to paranoia and increased anxiety. In some ways, you can think about it like alcohol. A drink with dinner might make you a little more social and at ease, while five shots at the bar might lead to a messy night.
While we have some studies that suggest microdosing cannabis may be effective for various situations, we don’t have a lot of definitive evidence to back this up. This doesn’t mean it’s not true. It just means we don’t have enough research to say for sure.
But we do have a lot of anecdotal evidence from people who like to microdose cannabis. In one account, an anonymous microdosing mom told Philadelphia Magazine that microdosing weed “makes me a more relaxed mom, a fun one who’s willing to forgo the stack of laundry for a game of Go Fish and give second-grade drama stories my full attention. I’m never high or goofy, just a more present (and pleasant) version of myself.”
In a Woman’s Health article about women microdosing cannabis, a 39 year old woman named Mandy said, “I’ve microdosed before, during, and after work. In small doses, I find pot helps block out outside noises, or other distractions. I can focus more on what I intend to, and be more present and observant. About 30 minutes after consuming [she tends to prefer pot-infused candies] I feel relaxed and calm. I don’t have a mental fog, it’s more of a drowning out of irrelevant things, causing me to become more focused.”
How to microdose cannabis
To figure out the right microdose routine for you, you’ll first need to know your tolerance. If you get high off of just a few milligrams of THC, you will need to consume a very small amount to achieve benefits without the high. But if you have a really high tolerance, you’ll need much more to achieve any benefits at all.
Most microdosing recommendations range from 1 to 2.5 mg of THC. If you have a really low tolerance, you will want to stick to the 1 mg end of things. But if you don’t get high until you’ve eaten 50 to 100 mg of THC, you can probably bump that up to 5 or 10 mg.
You generally want to find the lowest dose you can take to achieve the effects you want. This may take some trial and error. If you take 1 mg one day and don’t feel any sort of boost, try 2 or 3 mg the next day. If you take 2.5 mg and find that you are feeling fuzzy and a bit high, bump that down to 1 mg the next day and see how it feels.
If you’re struggling to find the right amount for your microdosing needs, log your effects for a week or two. Write down when you take your dose, when you begin to feel benefits, and when it wears off. Write down the activities you engaged in and how you felt throughout them. You can look back to this journal to help you find the precise dose for your needs.
I recommend finding cannabis products with a higher ratio of CBD to THC. The two work well together and some studies even suggest that CBD may help protect against the negative side effects of THC.
Cannabis products to microdose
You can microdose with just about any cannabis product so long as you only consume enough to get the positive benefits without the high. So if you have a favorite THC gummy, go ahead and cut it in half or quarters to microdose. Or, try one of these suggestions:
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