Calculating Edibles Dosing – from low to high dose
Exactly how much weed to use when making edibles
by Christina Wong
Edibles Dosing Guide on The Clever Root
Consuming the appropriate amount of cannabis is different for everyone, as our bodies and tolerance levels are different. To standardize recipes and provide consistent information on dosing, cannabis-infused recipes on The Clever Root will use the following guidelines to calculate edibles dosing:
Low dose is 5 mg THC per serving
High dose is 100 mg THC per serving
Assume 20% THC potency of cannabis flower
Assume 80% THC potency of cannabis concentrates
70% efficiency rate (to account for cannabinoids that are not converted or infused during the infusion process)
Dosing Section on Recipes
Each recipe includes a Dosing section, which provides the following information:
# of servings
Approximate amount of THC in mg and cannabis to use to dose 5 mg and/or 100 mg. per serving
Recommended strain pairings
How to Calculate Your Personal Dose
To adjust to your personal dose, simply multiply the grams provided in the recipe accordingly. For example, to get ~30 mg per serving dose, multiply the 5 mg low dose recipe amount of cannabis flower by 6.
Please note that the amounts recommended provide guidance on how much cannabis to use to reach a certain dose range, but those numbers are not 100% accurate due to multiple variables. However inexact, the calculations and recommendations will at least be a close estimation within a small range. Which is better than not knowing the potency at all.
Math is our friend!
The conventional advice to “Eat a teaspoon of butter, wait a couple hours and see how you feel” to determine cannabutter’s potency can be wildly unpredictable. If you don’t know the potency or how much you’re putting into those pot brownies, how will you know if it’s the appropriate dose for you and your friends? This is how mistrust of edibles starts. We all have that “I got f*cked up by an edible” story.
Here’s a better way: Do cannamath to calculate potency. You’d be surprised at how little you need.
While the end result won’t be perfectly exact, due to variables like temperature and conversion efficiency, it’s pretty darn close. And, it’s a much better way to figure out edible potency without eating a teaspoon of green butter.
Dosing Edibles FAQ:
How much flower do I use? About the amount I smoke in a bowl/joint per serving? No, please don’t!
What variables should I consider?
Can I use a kitchen scale?
What equipment do I need?
Is there an online cannamath calculator?
We’ll answer all of those questions and more. Keep reading.
# of servings and desired potency
What are you making? And how many servings does it make? A standard box brownie mix baked in a square 8”x8” pan makes 9 large brownies. For each brownie to be 5 mg THC each, we’ll need a total of 45 mg THC in the entire recipe.
[# of servings] x [potency per serving] = [total THC mg needed in infusion]
Approximate % THC of cannabis flower
The % THC in cannabis flower can be found on the label of legally purchased cannabis flower from a licensed dispensary. The flower is tested at a lab and required to be labeled, typically between 15-35%. If you don’t know, assume 20% THC. Most flower grown these days tend to be 18-25%.
Recipes are written assuming 20% THC. If your flower is different, adjust calculations accordingly.
Calculate cannamath
If we need 45 mg THC total in the recipe, and the cannabis flower is 20% THC, we’ll need ~0.35 grams of cannabis flower. That’s just barely a quarter-sized amount of flower.
As a general rule, I factor in 70% efficiency (30% THC loss) because it’s impossible to convert 100% of the THC and some will be lost. Different methods of activating and infusing will change the efficiency %. There are many different opinions about the perfect time, temperature, and method to get maximum THC conversion efficiency – they are all correct. There isn’t just one perfect way to infuse cannabis.
Consider my formula and method as a base starting point for beginners. You can adjust and try different methods after you master the basics.
HOW TO DO THE MATH:
I encourage you to learn the math, but you can also use Scientific Edibles calculator to do the math for you.
[# of servings] x [potency per serving] = [total THC mg needed in infusion]
9 servings x 5 mg THC = 45 mg THC
[total flower in grams] x 1000 = [total flower mg]
0.35 grams x 1000 = 350 mg
[total flower mg] x [% THC] = [total potential THC mg]
350 mg x 0.2 = 70 mg potential THC
[total potential THC mg] x [0.7 percent efficiency] = [total THC mg in infusion]
70 mg THC x 0.7 = 49 mg THC
49 mg THC divided by 9 servings = 5.4 mg THC each brownie
What do I use to measure cannabis flower?
Digital gram scale
Mason jar
Get an $11 precision digital gram scale that measures 0.01 g. A standard digital kitchen scale is not precise enough to measure down to the 0.01 g needed for accuracy.
Measure out approximately 0.35 g of coarsely ground cannabis flower. You’ll be surprised at how little flower you need to make a potent batch of brownies! Now, put the cannabis flower in a small mason jar to Decarb + Activate THC, before infusing into your recipe.
