Your Guide to Medical Marijuana Microdosing
“A little dab’ll do ya.” Only boomers will remember this ’50s-era slogan for Brill Cream hair gel. But the phrase could just as easily apply to the trend known as microdosing. CannaMD has previously reported on microdosing cannabis. Summarized information from that review will be covered by this article, along with new findings and additional insights on practices, products, and legalities of low-dose cannabis consumption.
Why Microdose?
Microdosing is the opposite of “getting stoned”. It’s about reaping the benefits without unwanted side effects, and enjoying them for a longer time. Think of red wine, which has both intoxicating effects and health-promoting antioxidants. Drink too much too quickly and you’ll get drunk, while a leisurely sipped glass or two provides pleasant but non-debilitating relaxation.
The same principle applies to microdosing cannabis. It’s all about controlling the quantity and limiting the potency to achieve benefits without inebriation.
How Big Is A Microdose?
Most research organizations consider 5mg to 7mg of THC to be a standard dose. That’s roughly one-third to one-sixth of the amount you’d get from smoking an average-size joint of today’s mid-strength pot. The THC content of an edible can range anywhere from 2mg to 100mg+ per serving, but will have a lower level of bioavailability. As a general rule of thumb, anything under 5mg is considered low-dose, and 2.5mg and below is an ultra-low dose.
Microdosing THC
The anti-marijuana camp has a long history of vilifying THC, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. But there are good reasons to keep THC in the therapeutic mix. A substantial body of research supports this major cannabinoid’s pain-repelling, anxiety-controlling and stress-reducing properties. Medical marijuana users can enjoy these benefits by sticking to low doses of THC spread across a longer time period.
A low dose of THC can provide effective pain relief. In an Israeli research trial, patients given a .5 or 1mg dose of THC delivered by inhaler experienced significant and rapid pain reduction. Pain relief lasted for up to 150 minutes and the users didn’t show any signs of cognitive impairment.
And more may not be better. Cancer patients who did not get relief from opioid medications were given a synthetic cannabinoid with a balanced mix of THC and CBD. Those taking a low daily dose of around 10mg THC+10mg CBD reported measurable pain relief, while daily doses of 30mg or more actually increased pain sensations.
Evidence shows that low-dose THC helps PTSD sufferers by reducing anxieties and bad memories, and it’s most effective when combined with CBD. PTSD patients who consumed two daily doses of 5mg THC slept better, had fewer nightmares, and were less likely to get angry or agitated.
A team at the University of Chicago found that a 7.5 mg oral dose of THC improved mood and reduced stress when volunteers were asked to do public speaking. By contrast, a stronger 12.5 mg made things worse. The authors wrote that:
“We found that THC at low doses reduced stress, while higher doses had the opposite effect, underscoring the importance of dose when it comes to THC and its effects.”
THC Microdosing & Brain Health
Research from Ohio State University showed that stimulating cannabinoid receptors reduced damaging brain inflammation in old mice, while improving memory. Israeli researchers revealed THC’s role in the process. They found that a single ultra-low dose of THC improved both brain health and mental capacity in old mice, and that the benefits lasted for seven weeks.
The most recent insights on cannabis and brain health indicates that ultra-low THC dosing may not only improve memory and reverse certain aspects of brain aging, it can also restore brain health after injury and may provide some broader anti-aging benefits.
Low-dose THC also shows promise in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The International Journal of Molecular Sciences reported that an ultra-low dose of THC improved memory and mental function in mice models of Alzheimer’s.
In a case study from Brazil, a 75-year-old man diagnosed with mild-stage Alzheimer’s disease was given a daily dose of .5 to 1mg of THC for 22 months. This therapy enhanced both memory and cognitive performance, and these improvements lasted for more than a year after the treatment ended.
Should You Microdose CBD?
CBD products have exploded in popularity, and this non-psychoactive cannabinoid is now added to everything from massage oils and shampoos to cookies and energy drinks. The medical cannabis community has raised concerns over exaggerated claims of CBD’s therapeutic benefits, and over the current lack of product regulation and purity.
Looking beyond the hype, there is evidence that CBD can help reduce anxiety and combat the painful inflammation of arthritis. Because THC products used for microdosing therapies also often contain CBD, it’s likely that these major cannabinoids work synergistically. But CBD-only products may not provide the same benefits, and may not be effective when consumed at low to ultra-low doses.
Clinical and Transitional Science reported that CBD appears to be safe for human consumption in dosages as large as 6000mg per day, which is about 40 to 100 times the amount found in over-the-counter CBD products. The report also concluded that CBD dosages of less than 300mg provided minimal effect, while 300mg+ doses showed potential for treating anxiety.
A recent study on CBD for sleep found that insomnia sufferers said they slept better after taking a 150mg dose of CBD, but their lab results showed no actual improvement in sleep duration quality. The explanation was that the patient’s belief in CBD’s sleep-promoting effects may have evoked a psychological sense of relaxation rather than a physical response.
In 2024, The Journal of Pain weighed in on over-the-counter CBD products. They cautioned that many of these products “have varying amounts of CBD, from none to much more than advertised,” and concluded that “current evidence is that CBD for pain is expensive and ineffective.”
A Boston-based medical group noted that effective cannabinoid-based pain medications typically contain both THC and CBD, and that:
“Based on the available literature, it is difficult to make a recommendation for the use of [CBD-only pharmaceuticals] in chronic pain management.”
Will Microdosing Show Up in A Drug Test?
Most tests can detect the presence of THC at levels as low as 50 nanograms/milliliters. A nanogram is a billionth of a milligram. Infrequent low-dose users might achieve a negative test result after a week of abstaining, but anyone who microdoses regularly will likely come up positive.
How to Start Microdosing
Microdosing is about maintaining a low and sustained level of cannabis medication. Smoked and vaped marijuana hits fast, then fades within an hour or two. Cannabis oils taken under the tongue also take effect within 5 and 10 minutes and peak within 30 to 45 minutes. By contrast, edibles peak within one to two hours and stay in the system longer.
Both smoked and edible cannabis present challenges for accurate microdosing. A 2024 study suggests the cannabinoid content of flower may sometimes be mislabeled by up to 20 percent. The amount actually absorbed also depends on individual smoking behaviors such as the depth of the inhalation and the time of breath hold. Edible cannabis also has mislabeling issues, with some sources indicating that more than half of available products understate THC content. Differences in the way each person metabolizes edibles also affect the amount of cannabinoids absorbed and the duration of their effects.
Sublingual (under the tongue) formulas provide the most accurate cannabis microdoses, as each drop contains a known quantity of medication. This facilitates a process known as titration, which is the medical term for starting with a small dose and gradually increasing it until the desired effect is achieved. The same process can be applied to smoked or edible cannabis by starting with a few short puffs or a low-potency gummy.
Do You Have Questions on Microdosing Cannabis?
CannaMD is committed to bringing you news and insights on medical research related to low-dose cannabis-based therapies. If you have questions about medical marijuana or want to qualify to purchase legal cannabis products, CannaMD‘s state-certified medical marijuana doctors are here to help! Contact us at (855) 420-9170. Find out if you qualify for medical marijuana treatment with our quick online application!
