Dab Dosage Guide: Finding the Right Size for Your Cannabis Concentrates
Discovering the perfect dab size for your specific needs is now easier than ever. With clearly labeled products and versatile dabbing tools that let you measure doses accurately, dabbing has become more accessible even for beginners.
Dabs may be tiny, but they’re packed with a potent mix of cannabinoids, terpenes, and more. Knowing the right size and frequency of your dabs is crucial for avoiding unwanted side effects and fully enjoying your delicious concentrates.
Finding Your Ideal Dab Size
Cannabis concentrates come in various sizes, consistencies, and potencies. Dab potency can range from 60 to 90 percent THC or CBD. Some cannabinoid isolates and extracts can have even higher concentrations.
Solvent-based concentrates have significantly higher cannabinoid content than solventless concentrates, which can reach around 50 percent, or flower concentrations that can reach up to 30 percent THC. Each person responds differently to the potent dose of cannabinoids in a dab.
There’s no universal dosage guide to suit everyone’s consumption habits. How someone reacts to a cannabis compound depends on factors like weight, health, body chemistry, mood, and desired effects.
For example, a medical user with chronic pain may need a larger and more frequent dosage than a recreational user who microdoses CBD to alleviate occasional anxiety. Some users might only need a single, large dose at night to fall asleep.
It’s recommended to start with the lowest possible dose and gradually increase the dosage until the desired effects are achieved. Once users have established a baseline dosage, they can stick to it to avoid developing a significantly higher tolerance and side effects.
Understanding Your Concentrate’s Chemical Profile
Licensed retailers must carry concentrate products with labels detailing their cannabinoid content. Concentrates typically come in 0.5 or 1-gram sizes. One gram contains about 800 mg of cannabinoids or about 80 percent of the oil and other cannabis compounds.
Concentrate labels indicate the amount of THC, CBD, CBG, or any other cannabinoids included, whether it’s a full-spectrum product or a single product for distillates. Some brands and dispensaries may also choose to include the concentrate’s terpene concentration, which affects the aroma and experience.
To determine the amount of THC in a dab, take the weight of the original concentrate, multiply it by the amount of THC, and then divide that by the number of dabs you get from the concentrate. For example, if you start with 1 gram of wax containing 700mg of THC and get 50 hits per gram, then the amount of THC per dab would be 14mg.
THC per dab = weight of concentrate x THC percentage / number of dabs.
Choosing the Right Dab Tool and Portioning for Your Cannabis Concentrates
Cannabis concentrates come in a wide range of textures, from hard to crumbly to buttery, and more. Due to this variety, there’s an assortment of dab tools with different tips (paddle, scoop, flat, hook, and more) designed to handle each type of extract more easily.
For example, hard shatter needs a sharp and pointy dabbing tool or dabber to break apart its solid consistency. Runny or crumbly extracts work better with a scoop or spoon-style dabber. Picking the right dabber helps you portion the extract evenly without wasting any of it.
Portioning
Figuring out how to portion a small amount of concentrate can be the trickiest part of the dosing process. With edibles, the recommended starting dose is 5 to 10 mg of THC to gauge the effects. However, portioning a 5 mg dab is impossible.
For instance, with a concentrate containing about 800 mg of THC, a peppercorn-sized dab would have around 25 mg of THC, five times the recommended starting dose for edibles. Slightly heating hard and viscous concentrates can make portioning much more manageable than pulling off a dry and sticky piece. Perfecting the right dab size estimation will take time.
Vapes Offer Precise Dosing
Vape cartridges provide a convenient and portable way to dab on-the-go or at home. These pre-filled cartridges come with distillate or full-spectrum cannabis oil. Some vape pens for dabs also offer a pre-set dose, giving you a consistent experience every time.
Vape manufacturers may also indicate the number of hits or pulls available inside each 0.5 or 1-gram cartridge or vape pen. To make an educated guess on the dosage amount, divide the milligram content by the number of hits available. Each three to five-second draw will yield roughly the same amount of milligrams per hit.
Cannabinoid Ratio
Certain cannabis extracts will contain a ratio of THC and CBD compounds that influence the potency and duration of effects. A 20:1 THC:CBD ratio would yield higher intoxication levels than a 1:1 ratio of cannabinoids because of CBD’s balancing and clear-headed effects.
Onset of Effects
Delivery methods can impact the onset and duration of effects. Inhalation is the fastest way to experience cannabis compounds’ power. After a dab, effects can be felt instantly or take one to three minutes. The effects can last between two to three hours.
Dabs offer quick-acting effects on the bloodstream. Finding the right dab dose might require some experimentation and finesse. As long as you read the label and try to portion out your dabs as effectively as possible, you’ll be able to discover the best dose that works for you. While various environmental and lifestyle factors affect your high, the dosage amount is in your control and shapes your dabbing experience.
