What exactly is “micro-dosing?”
Micro-dosing is the process of using a small amount of cannabis to achieve the maximum benefits and/or psychoactive effects of THC without encountering side effects like paranoia, short term memory loss, or cannabis-induced anxiety. In other words, it is the minimum effective dose, or the classic “less is more.”
Like any substance, cannabis may produce significantly different effects from person to person – what may serve your needs perfectly might result in a terrible experience for someone else. A big part of your cannabis journey is determining which methods, products, and strains suit your personal preferences. Micro-dosing is yet another way to approach consumption. Journaling inside Feel State’s Personal Guidebook (available for free download on our homepage!) allows you to cultivate an understanding of your endocannabinoid system by tracking cannabis strain types, consumption method, dosage, and side effects.
What is your dose?
The theme of micro-dosing is “Start Low; Go Slow.” This can mean different things for different routes of consumption. For edibles, you may want to start with a low 2.5 mg THC dose and patiently wait for 24 hours before consuming again. Documenting your experience is key as whether or not desirable outcomes were met determines your next dose. If desirable outcomes were NOT met, whereby you “didn’t feel much,” consider increasing your dose by 1 or 2 mg of THC and waiting another 24 hours. Otherwise, continue to consume 2.5 mg THC as needed (i.e. your minimum effective dose).
With inhaled cannabis, you may want to inhale only 1 puff for 2 to 5 seconds, exhale, then wait to inhale more for 10 minutes. If desirable outcomes were NOT met, consider taking one more 2-5 second inhalation and repeating the 10 minute wait.
At any time with ingestion or inhalation, if you ever feel symptoms of a THC overdose such as paranoia or anxiety, document, and decrease the strength at your next dose. It is good practice to keep a CBD formulation on hand to counteract the psychoactive effects of THC. Alternatively, sucking a lemon and chewing black peppercorn have been known to help mitigate negative effects, as well.
What do you think?