Guidelines for the average dose of medical THC are based on advice offered by respected industry leaders and patterns set by current pharmaceutical companies that focus on medical cannabis distribution. These guidelines are as follows:
Daily Dose Average THC = 10mg to 20mg (2)
Daily Dose Average For Total Cannabinoids (CBD plus THC) = 30 mg to 90 mg
Daily Dose Average for Edibles = 2 mg to 10 mg of THC
Do not confuse the “grams of whole leaf” with the “milligram dose of THC”. The conversion factor is that THC mg. is 10-15% of the whole leaf weight (in grams).
An eighth of “leaf/smokeables” is 3.5 grams, which would contain 350 milligrams of THC (10% THC strain) and 700 milligrams of THC (20% THC strain).
A good starting point for medical marijuana patients who are ingesting cannabis for the first time might average 10 mg to 15 mg of THC. It is recommended that you start with micro (very small) doses and work your way up to larger dosages as you become more and more familiar with the effects of eating infused edibles or oils.
Generally speaking, 30-100 mg of active cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc) is considered a daily dose by most patients who consume cannabis regularly. However, it will vary per individual and the health condition you are looking to treat (8). It is not recommended that patients exceed 45 mg per day. Studies have found that doses greater than 54 mg increased signs and symptoms of acute intoxication and overdose/poisoning. Acute intoxication produces cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) agonism-type reactions, which can include dizziness, hallucinations, delusions, euphoria, paranoia, tachycardia or bradycardia with hypotension, dry mouth, and/or nausea. (4,5,6)
Non-medical cannabis is typically prepared with fresh or dried leaves or flowers, crushed into paste or oil extracted with solvents. Analysis of street cannabis has shown little to no CBD and a high amount of THC, which is the psychoactive compound associated with a “high”. (6) Analysis of joints in recent years have shown up to 20% THC. (7) Another source even estimates joints could be between 12% and 28% THC (8). If an average joint is about 0.35 g (3.5mg), this means the joint could contain up to 0.07 g (or 7mg) of THC. Larger street joints might be up 0.5g or 0.7g, meaning possibly 0.1g or 0.14g of THC for those joints respectively.
An “eighth”, is 1/8th of an ounce and is equal to 3.5g. An “eighth” will make 10 joints of 0.35g each, or 7 joints of 0.5g. Thus an “eighth” will make one ‘big’ joint per day for a week, and 4 eighths will supply a person with one ‘big’ joint a day for a month. At that rate, they would be using ½ ounce per month (4/8ths of an ounce), which contains 50mg THC in a 10% strain. This would be 100mg per day if the strain was 20% and would be almost 150mg per day if the strain was 28%.
The state of Florida, under Senate Bill 182 has put limits on the number of milligrams of THC a patient may purchase in a given period (10), however, there are no exact standards for prescribed dosage amounts. Each patient and their reaction to medical cannabis is different- Dr. Moore evaluates accordingly as to how much a patient should be prescribed.
Your vaporizing device (vape pen, e-cigarette, etc) heats THC oil, allowing for inhalation; this is vaping. Smokeables refers to cannabis products like whole plant/flower that involve lighting/burning and the subsequent inhaling of smoke. In the case of smokeables, the combustion process destroys up to half the mg of THC in the amount smoked.
A patient that is vaping 50mg per day for 30 days (a month) of THC is potentially receiving about 1500mg THC. A patient using smokables would have to smoke one ounce in the same time period (one month) to total to 1500mg. (One ounce of product is approximately 30 g (30,000 mg) of whole leaf. If 10% of that product was THC, this would leave 3,000mg. The combustion process during smoking would decrease this to 1500mg.)
One ounce is a lot! One ounce equals roughly 28,000 mg. Note: the recommended THC dose is 10mg to 20 mg a day, meaning patients are recommended about 300 mg to 600 mg each month. In conclusion, patients should be aware that vaping delivers more THC to the patient per mg compared to smokables within an equal time period. Consult your doctor on how to receive your correct dosage while vaping.
Less is more. Cancer patients who received 21 mg/day of Sativex (a cannabis sublingual spray with roughly equal amounts of CBD and THC) experienced significant reductions in pain, more so than cancer patients who received 52 mg of Sativex, while those who were given 83 mg of Sativex reduced their pain no better than a placebo. Cumulative doses of THC exceeding 20-30 mg per day – or a single dose of 10 mg or more – may cause unwanted side effects. (9)
It is estimated that a dose of THC 10 mg has a similar effect as 60 mg of Codeine and equivalent to two tablets of Tylenol #3 with Codeine. Clinical studies use a wide range of preparations and usually allow dosage titration for effect, making standard dosage recommendations difficult. A large, multicenter trial used initial doses of 5 mg of oral delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) daily, self-titrated up to 25 mg THC daily for up to 52 weeks in multiple sclerosis. Estimates of relative efficacy for THC compared with codeine for pain are 10 mg THC to 60 mg codeine—the equivalent of two tablets of Tylenol No.3. (6)
*Disclaimer: MEDCAN specifically does not intend to give medical advice nor expect anything on this page to be used as medical advice. Please consult your physician.
Sources:
(1) What is an average daily dose of THC for most medical marijuana patients?
(2) Daily dose based on data from Florida Dispensaries, Trulieve and Surterra Wellness
(3, 4) GW Pharmaceuticals package insert of medical marijuana medication.
(5) Cannabinoid Receptor agonist
(6) Cannabis Uses, Benefits & Dosages
(7) Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) serum concentrations and pharmacological effects in males after smoking a combination of tobacco and cannabis containing up to 69 mg THC
(8) How many milligrams of THC are in a typical joint?
(9) CBD dosing
(10) Florida sets tentative daily dosing amount limits for the medical use of marijuana