Micro-dosing Cannabis

Two questions patients and caregivers ask with increasing frequency are: “What is micro-dosing?” and “Will micro-dosing work for me?” Here’s a quick primer on what you need to know. Quite simply, micro-dosing medical cannabis is the therapeutic practice of taking the lowest dose that will provide relief and healing, but not the full-body and psychoactive effects that can interfere with daily life. Micro-dosing has a number of benefits. Some practitioners liken it to taking a daily vitamin or low-dose aspirin that works at the cellular level to improve health. Without question, micro-dosing allows your medicine to last longer, saving you money and in some cases, letting patients on limited budgets purchase the medicine. Before you decide to start or change your medical cannabis regimen, however, talk with your healthcare professional. If he or she agrees that micro-dosing might be for you, here are a few things to keep in mind.

How to Find Your Therapeutic Micro-dose

If you’re an existing medical cannabis patient interested in micro-dosing, it’s easy to get started. Whether you smoke, vaporize, ingest a tincture or edible, the first step is to cut your normal dose in half and evaluate how you feel. Did the half-dose provide you with the relief you seek? If so, consider cutting back on your next dose. Keep cutting back until you find your ideal micro-dose, the amount that provides the relief you seek without the body or cerebral “high.” If you’re a new medical cannabis patient, the first step is to choose a medical cannabis product that is right for you. Talk with your medical professional and/or a Wellness staff member for direction and advice. Once you decide on a product, start with just a quarter or half of the suggested dose. Wait the recommended amount of time—at least two hours after ingesting an edible, an hour after taking a tincture, 10-15 minutes after inhaling—before evaluating how you feel. Adjust future doses accordingly.  

Read More About Micro-dosing

Type “micro-dose medical cannabis” into a search engine and you’ll get thousands of results. While it’s interesting to read anecdotes about how other patients have successfully treated symptoms and conditions with micro-doses of medical cannabis, pay attention to what physicians and researchers have to say. The University of California at San Diego’s published a study entitled Low Dose Vaporized Cannabis Significantly Improves Neuropathic Pain.  Their research shows that patients who took micro-doses of medical cannabis felt as much pain relief as those who used larger doses. Dr. Bonni Goldstein, medical director at Canna-Centers in California said, “Many of my patients using low doses for pain, mood, and sleep find that low doses give the effects they are looking for, and over time, due to the enhancement of their endocannabinoid system, they find that they don’t need as much phytocannabinoids to achieve the desired effects.”  

We’re Here for You

As always, Wellness Connection is here for you. Have a question or comment about micro-dosing medical cannabis? Feel free to respond in the comments below or come into one of our dispensaries. If you’d like, we’ll talk with you about micro-dosing medical cannabis and help you find the medical cannabis product, dose and frequency schedule that will provide the relief you seek. [products ids=”8822,5980,5978″ per_page=”4″ columns=”3″]