Microdosing cannabis means deliberately taking a small, measured amount of THC, but no regulator or scientific body has set an official definition of how small. Researchers who need a fixed reference use a standard THC unit of 5 mg, which the National Institutes of Health adopted in 2021 for reporting research. The useful idea behind microdosing is dose control, not a promised result.
That distinction matters, because the word gets used for everything from a single milligram to a full edible serving. Here is what the evidence does say, and how to keep track of small doses if you try them.
There is no official microdose
Search for a microdose and you will find ranges that disagree with each other. We looked for a definition from a regulator or a scientific society and did not find one, only commercial sites with conflicting numbers.
The closest thing to an anchor comes from research. In 2020, the researchers Freeman and Lorenzetti proposed in the journal Addiction that "a 'standard THC unit' should be fixed at 5 mg THC for all cannabis products and methods of administration." The following year the National Institutes of Health formalized the idea in notice NOT-DA-21-049, defining a standard THC unit as "any formulation of cannabis plant material or extract that contains 5 milligrams of THC."
Be clear about what that unit is for. The NIH notice exists so studies report doses consistently, and it states that it is not meant "to prescribe the quantity of THC that is permissible for use in research projects." It is a measuring stick, not a recommended dose.
What one lab study found about two different doses
A 2017 study by Childs, Lutz and de Wit, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, is one of the clearest illustrations of why dose size matters. The researchers gave 42 healthy young adults a single oral dose of placebo, 7.5 mg of THC, or 12.5 mg of THC, then put them through a standard laboratory stress test.
The two doses pushed mood in opposite directions. People who took 7.5 mg reported less distress after the task than the placebo group. People who took 12.5 mg did not, and the authors reported that "12.5mg THC increased negative mood overall."
Keep the limits in view. This was one dose, given once, to healthy volunteers in a lab, and the lower dose in the study was still above the 5 mg research unit. This study compared responses during a laboratory stress test. It does not establish a consumer microdose, a dosing method, or a treatment for stress.
Measuring a small dose in practice
The format you choose decides how precisely you can measure.
| Format | How measurable a small dose is |
|---|---|
| Edibles | The label states THC per serving, so the dose is printed on the package. New York caps a serving at 10 mg, so a product's serving can be well above a research unit. |
| Tinctures | Also labeled per serving, with doses measured by dropper. |
| Pre-rolls and flower | No measured dose per puff. Amount depends on how you inhale. |
| Vapes | Not measured per puff either. |
Inhaled doses are hard to pin down. When researchers tested inhaled doses of 0.5 mg and 1 mg of THC in a 2020 trial, they used a medical inhaler built to deliver a set amount, which ordinary pre-rolls and vapes are not.
Edibles also come with a delay. A pharmacology review reports onset around 30 to 90 minutes and peak effects around 2 to 3 hours after eating. Those ranges are not a timetable for taking another dose. Our first edible walkthrough covers label reading and delayed effects, and the edibles dosing guide lays out larger dose tiers.
Keeping a dose log
A simple log turns a vague impression into something you can act on. Note each of these every time:
- The date and time.
- The product name and its THC per serving, copied from the label.
- How much you took, in milligrams.
- What you ate beforehand.
- What you noticed, and when you first noticed it.
- How you felt the next morning.
Change only one thing between entries, either the product or the amount, never both. A log records past responses. It cannot guarantee how a later dose will feel, but it gives you and a budtender something concrete to talk through. Bring it with you and a budtender can use it to suggest products with smaller servings or a different THC and CBD balance. Our THC vs CBD guide explains how the two compare.
Questions about microdosing
Is microdosing a way to use cannabis without feeling high?
Sometimes, but there is no guarantee. Because microdose has no fixed definition and people respond differently, an amount one person barely notices can be clearly felt by someone else. A dose log records how past amounts felt to you, which is more useful than a general rule.
Can I cut an edible to take less?
The label states the THC in its defined serving. It does not establish a personal starting dose or the THC content of an unmarked piece, so cutting a piece smaller gives you an estimate rather than a measured amount.
What dose should I start with?
We do not prescribe doses. A labeled serving is not a personal starting-dose recommendation, and the onset of an effect does not mean it has peaked. You can browse edibles on our live menu by THC per serving, or ask a budtender at the counter to narrow the edibles shelf to the lowest-dose options in stock.