Answering how much THC is too much strongly depends on the user and their level of experience with cannabis. A beginner – someone who’s new to enjoying marijuana – may find as little as 5 to 20mg of THC to be overpowering. A novice – someone who’s not new to marijuana but not particularly experienced either – may be similarly overwhelmed by 10 to 25mg. Experienced users – those who have enjoyed marijuana for a good long while now – won’t be fazed by taking in much less that 25mg in a session. Very experienced users – those who have been marijuana aficionados for decades – typically won’t feel anything out of the ordinary up 70 of 80mg of THC.
How much THC is too much really depends on the individual, and there’s no possible way to overdose on THC – greening out is, however, a possibility if you ingest too much THC. The single biggest factor here is your tolerance for it.
The way in which you ingest marijuana, and THC with it, also plays a significant role in any determination of how much THC is too much. Let’s look at that and cover the topic more broadly below here.
What is THC, and Understanding Thresholds
THC is the abbreviation for tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient found in the buds of the female cannabis plant. It’s responsible for marijuana’s psychoactive and sedative effects. It’s concentrated in the trichomes that cover the exterior of the buds, which many people refer to as the ‘crystals.’ Indeed, THC is responsible for the magic that happens when you smoke a joint or ingest marijuana by other means. However, some people may wonder how much THC is too much, or if it is actually possible to overdose on it.
So as was laid out above, how much THC is too much is entirely dependent on you and your physiological familiarity with it. The above number guidelines are only estimates but they are fairly accurate representations. So, the next questions then logically become how much THC does a user ingest from one puff on a joint, one draw on a bong, or any intake method with any product?
The first thing to understand is that different strains of cannabis have different THC levels, as well as different levels of other cannabinoids like CBD and CBN. If you have these types of concerns and are worried about how much THC is too much, then you can and should choose as strain that’s less potent. This is very true for beginners.
How much THC is too much? Methods of consumption
Smokables
We’ll discuss smokables here first. And while it’s technically not smoking, we have included vaping here too. Before we do that it’s important to know that smoking weed results in quite a bit of THC being lost when inhaled. In fact, it’s between 60 to 63%. People who use vaporizer often state they get a more intense high from them, and that’s probably true; the loss during inhaling for a vape is much lower at 46%. Keep in mind the information shared below is a GENERAL guideline:
Joints:
- Joint (highest THC content strains) – between 23 and 26mg of THC
- Joint (higher THC content strains) – between 19 and 22mg of THC
- Joint (medium THC content strains) – between 12 and 15mg of THC
- Joint (lower THC content strains) – between 1 and 6mg of THC
Bong:
- Bong (highest THC content strains) – between 25 and 28mg of THC
- Bong (higher THC content strains) – between 20 and 24mg of THC
- Bong (medium THC content strains) – between 13 and 16mg of THC
- Bong (lower THC content strains) – between 1 and 6mg of THC
Vaporizer:
- Vaporizer (highest THC content strains) – between 34 and 37mg of THC
- Vaporizer (higher THC content strains) – between 21 and 32mg of THC
- Vaporizer (medium THC content strain) – between 17 and 22mg of THC
- Vaporizer (lower THC content strains) – between 2 and 9mg of THC
Here’s a great online THC calculator provided by the LA times where you can find most of the commonly available strains and see the exact estimated inhale amounts for each of them. With this information, you can buy marijuana without worrying about how much THC is too much for you.
Edibles
When evaluating how much THC is too much, there’s more concern when it comes to baked goods, liquids and concentrates. This is especially true for edible products like cookies, teas, brownies, chocolate bars, honey, and candies.
When eating edibles your liver with metabolize the THC, so it takes longer to feel the effects. The general guideline here for beginners is not to exceed 5mg. Novice marijuana users should stay within the 10 to 15mg range. Experienced users can take up to 25mg on average, while very experienced users can again take much more – up to 80mg on average from edibles. All the projections below are based on average THC content strains:
- Pot Cookie – 10mg per 16g cookie
- Green Tea – 40mg per 1 0.07oz tea bag
- Brownie – 250mg per 1 100g brownie
- Chocolate Bar – 200mg per 1.5oz bar
- Honey – 8mg per 1 teaspoon
- Candies – 25mg per 2.5g candy
