Imagine buying a bottle of alcohol, but not understanding how much of it you need to drink before you’ll be over the limit. The same philosophy goes for how much THC is in a gram of weed. THC is one of many cannabinoids within marijuana, but it’s the one responsible for psychoactive effects. In other words, for getting you high.
But if you don’t know how much THC is in your weed, then how will you achieve the perfect high? That’s why many users are curious about THC levels in their weed, as it helps them determine how much they need to feel how they want to feel.
On average, one gram of weed contains about 100mg or 10% THC. Some varieties can vary up to 300mg or 30%, but 100mg is more of a common measurement.
To give you a better idea of what one gram means, one gram of dried marijuana is comparable to 15g of edibles, 0.25g of concentrate products, and one single marijuana seed.
Dive deeper with us on everything you need to know about how much THC is in a gram of weed.
What is THC?
To understand what THC is all about is to understand how it compares to its partner, CBD. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is a cannabinoid within the marijuana plant that provides psychoactive effects. It’s the most popular cannabinoid alongside CBD (cannabidiol) which does not have any psychoactive properties. Essentially, THC makes you high, and CBD does not.
They both affect one of your body’s biological pathways, known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS). While specialists are still researching the ECS, we know that it regulates several functions including your mood, appetite, memory, and pain sensations.
Both CBD and THC reach the ECS receptors and alter their functions. To be extra-scientific, the molecular structures of each cannabinoid are almost identical, and they have the same molecular formula of 21 carbon atoms, 30 hydrogen atoms, and 2 oxygen atoms, as noted by Healthline. Due to one very small difference within this formula, the effects that THC and CBD have on your body are completely different. One gets you high, one doesn’t.
CBD will have a non-intoxicating effect on your body, compared to THC which will give you a high. The levels to which you will react to THC will greatly depend on you as a person, where your metabolism plays a huge part.
Since there is around 100mg of THC per one gram of weed, you should know how much you can tolerate so that you don’t go overboard.
How Much THC Do I Need?
You’ll find that THC content will vary depending on different marijuana strains. This can make it tricky to determine how much you’re consuming, but as mentioned, the general rule of thumb is that one gram of marijuana contains 100mg of THC.
Smoking marijuana loses a lot of THC when compared to other forms of consuming weed – over 60% in fact. For comparison, vaping loses just over 45%. But even though you’re losing some of the potency, that doesn’t mean you should underestimate the amount of THC you’re consuming. Always take things slow if you’re starting out or trying a new strain – you might surprise yourself.
How much THC you need to get the desired effects greatly depends on your own tolerance as a person. LA Times provides an excellent look at THC content and its effects in their THC Calculator article. They include preferred amounts for everyone from beginners to more experienced.
THC Tolerance Levels
- Beginners have a very low tolerance at 5mg of THC.
- Those with some experience have a low tolerance with a toleration range between 5mg and 10mg of THC.
- Experienced users with a mild tolerance typically desire 10mg, upwards of 25mg of THC.
- People with more experience who have a high tolerance desire up to 80mg of THC.
Keep in mind that those with a high tolerance shouldn’t be consuming more than 40mg in one day, so stretch out that 80 mg across two days or more for the best and safest results.
Since there are currently no established guidelines on how much THC is safe to consume, we can’t stress enough how important it is to check with your healthcare provider, particularly if you’re consuming marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Why Should I Know How Much THC I’m Consuming?
Like anything in life, things should be done in moderation. If you don’t know how much THC you’re consuming, then it’s easy to take things too far and suffer from side effects. These can include increased anxiety, panic attacks, high blood pressure, and nausea.
It’s important to understand how much THC is in your body so that you can avoid these unwanted side effects. You’re taking weed to bring about some calm and to let your body relax, not to make yourself more stressed or anxious.
Knowing how much THC is in a gram of weed will help you gauge how that THC will affect you, no matter if it’s a joint or a cookie. You’ll then be able to adjust how much weed you take in one sitting, helping you find your sweet spot. Without that knowledge, you run the risk of inhaling or ingesting too much, which as mentioned, will lead to those nasty side effects.
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Can I Get More THC From Edibles?
For those who aren’t too familiar with different ways to consume marijuana, edibles are anything you can eat or drink that contain marijuana. You don’t smoke edibles or use any other type of equipment to consume them. In fact, many people gravitate towards edible products because they are less damaging than smoking or vaping, as there is no smoke or combustion.
But, edibles do contain higher levels of THC in terms of final consumption. While smoking and vaping result in a loss in THC levels, edibles cause the body to take longer to metabolize the THC. With edibles, THC is metabolized by the liver and converted to 11-hydroxy-THC. This means that the blood and brain have a stronger connection, leading to a more intense high.
Effects take longer to kick in, and they also last much longer too when compared to smoking or vaping. We suggest starting off with anywhere between 2.5mg and 5mg of THC in your edibles if you’re a beginner. As Leafly suggests, 1mg to 2.5mg can relieve pain, stress, anxiety and other negative symptoms. This THC amount for edibles can also improve focus and creativity.
Here are some other THC dosage notes to go by when choosing edibles:
- 10mg provides strong euphoric effects, may impair coordination and perception – suitable to high tolerance THC consumers.
- 20mg provides very strong euphoric effects, impairs coordination and perception – suitable for consumers with significantly high tolerance to THC.
- 50mg to 100mg provides seriously impaired coordination and perception and can cause unpleasant side effects such as nausea and pain – suitable only for extremely experienced consumers and people living with cancer or other inflammatory disorders.
How Can I Tell How Much THC is in my Marijuana?
Reputable suppliers will indicate how much THC is in a product on the packaging. This is why it’s so important to only purchase from qualified marijuana suppliers to ensure you’re getting the right information. This will prevent any negative side effects from happening.
To help out with guiding you through how to tell THC amounts, Ottawa Public Health created this handy table of examples based on types of cannabis products.
| Type of product | Measurement | Example |
| Dried or fresh cannabis | Percentage (%) or milligrams (mg) per weight of product | THC 0.7% or 7 mg/gram
Total THC 14% or 140 mg/gram |
| Edibles | Per unit or per package | A package with 2 cookies may be labelled as:
THC 5 mg per unit, Total THC 5 mg per unit THC 10 mg, Total THC 10 mg per package |
| Other products (pre-rolls, oils or capsules) | Milligrams (mg) per single unit
Milliliter (ml) per dose |
THC 2.5 mg/unit, Total THC 2.5 mg/unit
THC 10.5 mg/ml, Total THC 10.5 mg/ml |
Cannabinoid content will appear in two ways on your marijuana product packaging:
- THC and CBD are the amount of THC and CBD that is active in the product without heating it
- Total THC or Total CBD is how much THC and CBD there will be after it is heated
In some cases, the levels of THC, total THC and CBD, and total CBD can be listed as the same. These cases are typically when dried marijuana is heated up to trigger
the cannabinoids to produce products such as oils and edibles.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know how much THC is in one gram of weed, you’ll find it much easier to find the best dosage for you. And when you achieve that, you can avoid unwanted side effects that can make consuming marijuana a negative experience (and no one wants that). The only thing left now is to get shopping and discover all the best in marijuana products, from edibles to flowers, to CBD.
