# Proper Dosing of Canadian Cannabis Edibles?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 24, 2019, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538 "2019-07-24T10:52:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 18\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/41 "2019-07-25T18:09:42Z")

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In general, the whole problem with edibles being consumed by novices or people who just don’t like to smoke, is that it takes a while to come on, and then it may not stop when you want it to and it may last a longer than you think it should. Leaving you really fucked up in an unpleasant state. It won’t stop and keeps coming. Where if you had just smoked some and didn’t like the experience it will go away in an hour or so.

Maureen Dowd of the New York Time wrote an article about her unpleasant experience with edibles in 2014. Here is a partial quote.

> [@](#):
>
> “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. I was thirsty but couldn’t move to get water. Or even turn off the lights. I was panting and paranoid, sure that when the room-service waiter knocked and I didn’t answer, he’d call the police and have me arrested for being unable to handle my candy.”

Full article here, behind the NYT paywall.

> **[Opinion | Don’t Harsh Our Mellow, Dude (Published 2014)](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/04/opinion/dowd-dont-harsh-our-mellow-dude.html?_r=0)**
>
> Colorado is finding out that it’s not so easy to unleash pot on hordes of tourists seeking a mellow buzz.

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/42 "2019-07-25T18:27:23Z")

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Reading this thread has made me realize how much I can’t wait until 1st January 2020, when Illinois legalizes. Just a short drive across the river…

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**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/43 "2019-07-25T19:01:57Z")

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> [@HeyHomie](#):
>
> Every night, yes (never during the day). And even so, I know of users who burn through a quarter a night. I could make a quarter last a week.

See, I smoke everyday and could make a quarter last most of a month. I have been trying to save money by cutting back. I smoked probably twice that amount a couple years ago.

Still, 50mg is probably the minimum edible dose I would consider. The 5mg candies I got in Colorado might as well have been Jolly Ranchers. Eating the whole 100mg package barely gave me a slight buzz.

But people are different. My dad smokes everyday, probably more than me, and he got some edibles recently that he said a half of one knocked him out. I ate a whole one and was pleasantly buzzed for a few hours. But nowhere near “knocked out”.

So I’d also suggest newbies start low, but I would also think 10mg was plenty low enough. 2.5mg really sounds to me like a child sized dose. :eek: Or maybe what you’d feed your dog to calm him down on the Fourth of July.

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**Author:** ![Dongyang2016](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58f4c7/32.png) [@Dongyang2016](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dongyang2016)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/44 "2019-07-26T02:32:47Z")

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Long time pot user here.

Good advice on how much marijuana to ingest in food, and it pays to be careful and only do a little bit and wait, to gauge the strength of the substance. Also as it has been stated before, unlike smoking, ingesting it in food takes awhile to take effect (maybe thirty minutes) with the “peak” buzz around an hour in.

I know from experience that it is possible to do “too much”. I have eating before and it isn’t a pleasant feeling. I felt on edge, paranoid, out of body, not right. Also for me when I get “too high” it oddly depresses me and sends me into deep, negative thoughts. It’s strange to describe really, it just affects me and being “too high” is a waste and not fun for me. Then having to have dinner with my wife and another couple with me totally laughing my ass off at a piece of artwork in the restaurant and can’t help myself. Sounds great to laugh uncontrollably, but here it’s like farting uncontrollably, it’s ok to do it on your own, but you are looked down upon in mixed company. Word to the wise.

Basically, I want to make the marijuana food. I know the strength of the marijuana and how much I should have or take so I don’t go overboard. I don’t want to hit the dark corners of my mind.

As an aside, I hate the word “edibles”, sounds cutesy and dumb. Much like “recreational” marijuana. I am not swimming or playing tennis. Pot is medicinal because it makes me feel good. Is there “recreational” drinking?

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**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/45 "2019-07-26T04:24:00Z")

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> [@Dongyang2016](#):
>
> Is there “recreational” drinking?

Yes, there is.

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**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/46 "2019-07-27T00:18:22Z")

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> [@HeyHomie](#):
>
> In Illinois and Missouri dispensaries, if you say any of several words, you’ll be shown the door. Which means you have to talk around the subject without actually talking about it.

There are NO dispensaries in Missouri…YET…what are the words?

Illinois also ONLY currently has medical shoppes…not recreational.

And to the OP…10-20 is best starting ground without going overboard. Your a grown man, you can handle it!

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**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2019, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/47 "2019-07-27T01:14:44Z")

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> [@Dongyang2016](#):
>
> Is there “recreational” drinking?

Ever been on a Summer soft ball team?

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/48 "2019-07-27T17:18:50Z")

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> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#):
>
> There are NO dispensaries in Missouri…YET…what are the words?
> 
> Illinois also ONLY currently has medical shoppes…not recreational.

I mentioned a few posts later that I used the wrong word. I was talking about head shops, not dispensaries.

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**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2019, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/49 "2019-07-27T20:38:53Z")

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> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#):
>
> OK, so since edibles will not be readily available, what will be on offer in two weeks.

If edibles won’t be available that makes this all a lot easier because, as you have seen, determining how much cannabis to eat is tricky at best.

If you are open to other methods of using cannabis this is pretty simple. You said in your OP that smoking is not an option so it becomes even simpler. Basically, that leaves vaping (also buying loose buds and making your own edibles but I suspect you want something easier).

For vaping you’ll likely have several options:

1. As mentioned above, you can buy a disposable vape-pen. Here in California that would cost about $30-40, I think.

2. You can buy a disposable vape-pen cartridge along with a rechargeable battery/pen that together with the cartridge does just what the disposable vape-pen in #1 does but you only have to buy new cartridges when you run out, not a new pen.

3. There may be a lounge/room/space available to use the dispensary’s pipes/equipment to vape various products such as THC Oils, hash, wax, shatter & dabs, even loose bud.  
It looks to me like you are the poster-customer of #1, the disposable vape-pen. Around here, many of the disposables sold have a significant amount of CBD in them. Hence, less THC. Just ask and read the label.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/50 "2019-07-27T20:57:27Z")

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(too late for Edit)

Now I see some [information](https://www.villagebloomery.com/faq/#village_faq_question_279) online that suggests vape-pens are not available in Vancouver (or Canada as a whole). I can’t make it link to the exact question on the FAQ page. It’s **“Why can’t I find vape pens in any of the licensed shops?”** , the last question in the\*\* “Cannabis Law and Order”\*\* sub-heading.

It was kinda long and rambling and hard to find a meaty quote that explicitly makes things clear. The below was as close as I found:

> [@](#):
>
> Health Canada has vapor pens, edible products and concentrated derivative products on their radar and plans to roll out regulations for those with in the next year

It looks like the same federal law that bans edibles sales for now also bans vaping sales. After reading this I would suggest you contact a recreational dispensary in Vancouver and ask them what your options are if you can’t smoke.

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**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/51 "2019-07-27T21:59:12Z")

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> [@HeyHomie](#):
>
> Reading this thread has made me realize how much I can’t wait until 1st January 2020, when Illinois legalizes. Just a short drive across the river…

You and me both brohaim. Illinois and Michigan will be legal states soon so I’ll be driving across the border and getting a hotel room.

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**Author:** ![Dongyang2016](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58f4c7/32.png) [@Dongyang2016](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dongyang2016)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/52 "2019-07-29T20:41:22Z")

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> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#):
>
> There are NO dispensaries in Missouri…YET…what are the words?
> 
> Illinois also ONLY currently has medical shoppes…not recreational.
> 
> And to the OP…10-20 is best starting ground without going overboard. Your a grown man, you can handle it!

I would think people in Missouri, especially eastern Missouri are very happy about Illinois legalizing marijuana. I would be thrilled.

But Illinois won’t go fully legal until January 2020.

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**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2019, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/53 "2019-07-29T21:06:46Z")

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OP, this may be moot for now, but for future opportunities, I strongly recommend vaping over edibles, and if you do try edibles, I strongly recommend starting with no more than 5mg and waiting at least 2 hours before taking more. As others have noted, it’s much easier to titrate the right dose when inhaling vs digesting, because it comes on in minutes and mostly goes away within an hour, whereas edibles can take over an hour to hit you and then many hours to wear off. The good news is it’s impossible to kill yourself with an overdose. The bad news is it’s impossible to kill yourself with an overdose, much as you might be desperate for a bad trip to end. Take it slow. The world is on a pro-pot trajectory; this won’t be your last chance.

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**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/54 "2019-07-30T01:09:27Z")

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> [@Esprise\_Me](#):
>
> OP, this may be moot for now, but for future opportunities, I strongly recommend vaping over edibles, and if you do try edibles, I strongly recommend starting with no more than 5mg and waiting at least 2 hours before taking more. As others have noted, it’s much easier to titrate the right dose when inhaling vs digesting, because it comes on in minutes and mostly goes away within an hour, whereas edibles can take over an hour to hit you and then many hours to wear off. The good news is it’s impossible to kill yourself with an overdose. The bad news is it’s impossible to kill yourself with an overdose, much as you might be desperate for a bad trip to end. Take it slow. The world is on a pro-pot trajectory; this won’t be your last chance.

But is titrating with smoking easier? If you aren’t inhaling properly, you won’t absorb the THC. I got into this mess once. I’d smoke pot and feel nothing, so someone taught me the proper way to inhale since it has to get down in your lungs to be absorbed, and I inhaled too many times because I was accustomed to not absorbing THC, so I could inhale many times and feel nothing.

Titrating your inhaled THC isn’t necessarily easier. One breath may hold more volume than another, or it may hold more smoke, one breath may be better at sending THC deep enough into your lungs so it can be absorbed, and the THC content can vary between strains.

Also edibles can have a different effect than smoked THC. Some people actively seek out the more physical, longer lasting effects of edibles over the head high of inhalation.

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**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/55 "2019-07-30T01:21:34Z")

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Assuming you meant Saint John, New Brunswick, here is a link to the Cannabis NB website. You can click on the location button for a drop down of the locations and see current inventory. Pick the Saint John location easiest for you to get to.  
[https://www.cannabis-nb.com/](https://www.cannabis-nb.com/)

In Nova Scotia they sell cannabis in the liquor stores. Not as much information on the websites but here it is.

[https://www.mynslc.com/en/CannabisInfo/Cannabis-Info](https://www.mynslc.com/en/CannabisInfo/Cannabis-Info)

Hopefully seeing what is legally available will help others guide you to a good product.

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**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/56 "2019-07-30T02:13:44Z")

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> [@Wesley\_Clark](#):
>
> But is titrating with smoking easier? If you aren’t inhaling properly, you won’t absorb the THC. I got into this mess once. I’d smoke pot and feel nothing, so someone taught me the proper way to inhale since it has to get down in your lungs to be absorbed, and I inhaled too many times because I was accustomed to not absorbing THC, so I could inhale many times and feel nothing.

Huh, I never had any issues with inhaling–seemed intuitively obvious. But either way, I still think it’s easier to titrate because you can actually wait for each hit to take effect before having another, and if you overshoot you’ll start coming down soon enough. Have you ever been waaaaaaaay too high for 6 hours? Vaping won’t do that to you, but edibles could.

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/57 "2019-07-30T15:51:28Z")

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> [@Dongyang2016](#):
>
> I would think people in Missouri, especially eastern Missouri are very happy about Illinois legalizing marijuana. I would be thrilled.

Heh. I live in eastern Missouri. The nearest dispensary to me is Collinsville, Illinois, in Metro East. About a two-hour drive depending on traffic. 1 January 2020 is 155 days away. Not saying why I know.

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**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-dosing-of-canadian-cannabis-edibles/837538/58 "2019-07-30T17:38:24Z")

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I am a recent convert to edibles, after decades of smoking weed. Count me among those who prefer them!

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