Delta-9 Dosage Chart, Guide, and Calculator (2024)

The 2018 legalization of hemp-derived delta-9 THC provided many people with a new option for therapeutic support, as well as a legal way to get high.

But despite delta-9 being legal in many states, there aren’t any official guidelines on how much you should take, or how this amount varies depending on why you’re using it.

Most advice we’ve found online either doesn’t account for different uses or doesn’t consider weight when determining dosage.

These things do matter for dosing, especially for therapeutic purposes.

So to help you, we’ve made a full delta-9 dosage guide, as well as a weight-based calculator and chart, so you can easily determine how much you need!

TAKEAWAYS:

When dosing delta-9, always start small and slowly increase your dose until you achieve the experience you’re looking for.
For recreational purposes, you can determine your delta-9 by multiplying your weight in pounds by 0.1.
If you need a smaller dose than your edibles allow for, you can split each piece into halves or fourths.

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Delta-9 Dosage Chart, Guide, and Calculator (1)

Factors That Will Affect Your Delta-9 Dosage

There are three things to keep in mind when determining your delta-9 dosage: your tolerance, why you’re using it, and how much you weigh.

Tolerance

If you regularly smoke weed or already have experience with using delta-9 or stronger cannabinoids (like THC), you may need to take more delta-9 than normal to achieve a certain effect.

We still recommend starting with the standard dose — just expect that you might need to increase your dose a bit.

Why You’re Taking It

Depending on whether you’re using delta-9 for therapeutic purposes or just to relax, you’ll need to adjust your dose.

Weight

How much you weigh will determine how much delta-9 you need to take — a 100-pound person won’t need as much delta-9 as a 200-pound person to achieve the same feeling.

Delta-9 Dosage: How Much Should You Take?

Alright, it’s time to determine your ideal dose. Follow these three steps to figure out how much delta-9 you should take each day!

Step 1: Determine Your Dosage Strength

Each dosage strength (low, medium, and high) corresponds to a dosage formula that can be used to determine your specific starting dose.

Sleep — Low

Stress — Low

Depression — Low

Anxiety — Low

Physical relaxation (muscles, joints, etc.) — Medium

Recreation (i.e. to get high) — Medium, low if you’ve never used psychoactive cannabinoids before

Specific conditions — High or pharmaceutical strength (determined by medical professionals)

Step 2: Determine Your Delivery Method

This article is primarily focused on edibles, but if you’re using other types of delta-9 products, it’s important to be aware that there are slight differences in absorption rates.

Tinctures are More Potent Than Edibles

Tinctures, which go directly to the bloodstream, are more potent than edibles or capsules, which you digest.

However, the difference isn’t huge, so you can use the chart below to determine a starting dosage whether you’re using an edible or tincture.

What About Vapes, Prerolls, and Dabs?

In theory, inhaling delta-9 will provide a more potent experience than digesting it through an edible. This is because your lungs have a higher absorption rate than your digestive tract.

But in practice, there’s no real difference because you’ll end up exhaling much of the smoke or vapor anyway.

Additionally, there’s no foolproof way of measuring how many milligrams of delta-9 you’re getting from each puff of a vape, preroll, etc.

In this case, determining your dosage is a matter of starting very small and using trial and error.

Step 3: Use Our Calculator & Chart Below to Find Your Dosage

Now that you know your dosage strength, and you’re aware of the different absorption methods, use our calculate to determine your ideal dosage! Or, find your weight on the chart below for a quick estimate.

Delta-9 Dosage Calculator

Delta-9 THC Dosage Calculator

CBD Dosage Calculator

Instructions:

In the top field, enter your body weight in pounds (lbs.)
In the bottom field, select your delta-9 THC dosage strength based on your condition or use
Click the calculate button to determine your daily delta-9 THC dosage

Enter your body weight in pounds:

Select dosage strength:

Your calculated dose of delta-9 THC is: 0.0 mg per day

Delta-9 Dosage Chart By Weight

Keep in mind that these are starting dosages and that you might need to slightly increase or decrease your dose as you go.

Also, note that experienced users often use very high doses — think 80 mg of 100 mg at a time. Starting out, we recommend starting smaller.

How Many Delta-9 Edibles Should You Take?

Based on the strength of your product, this number will vary. Our jars come in a 30 count with 7.5mg of delta-9 THC per gummy (we mix it with CBD) — so if your dosage of 15 mg, you’ll need exactly two edibles.

However, many edibles will contain more delta-9 THC per piece. In this case, you can split your edibles with a butter knife and take 1/2 or 1/4 of an edible at a time.

How Long Does It Take Delta-9 to Work?

It depends on the delivery method.

With delta-9 THC gummies, you’ll feel the effects in 45 minutes to an hour. Tinctures, smokables, and vapes can render effects in just 5-15 minutes.

However, effects from edibles and tinctures typically last longer — 3-6 hours, whereas smokables will render effects for 2-3 hours.

Why Your Edibles Aren’t Working (And How to Fix It)

If you’ve followed the steps and found your dose isn’t working, here are the most likely culprits:

You got sold bad edibles — Buying delta-9 is tricky. The hemp industry is largely unregulated, and as a result, there are a lot of low-quality products floating around out there. Be sure to buy lab-tested, well-reviewed delta-9 edibles from a reputable company.
You need a bigger dosage — due to tolerance or personal body chemistry, you may need a larger dosage of delta-9 than our chart recommends. In this case, slowly increase your dosage each day until you achieve your desired effect.

Can You Take Too Much Delta-9?

Taking too much delta-9 THC won’t kill you, but it can cause some nasty side effects:

Dizziness & lightheadedness
Paranoia & anxiety
An increase in heart rate
Drowsiness
Dry mouth
Dry eyes
Inability to concentrate
Nausea

To avoid “overdosing” on delta-9, start small and slowly increase your dosage based on how you feel.

How Much Delta-8 Is Equal To the Effects of Delta-9?

If you’re thinking of trying hemp-derived delta-8 THC instead of delta-9, the same dosing considerations apply, but your actual dose will be different.

Delta-8 is roughly half as strong as delta-9. Because of this, you’ll need roughly two times as much delta-8 in order to equal the effects of delta-9.

Conclusion

THC-O is insanely strong; delta-8 is a much milder cannabinoid. Delta-9 THC is a nice in-between, and it provides a legal version of the effects that cannabis users are already used to.

If you find that you want to explore an even stronger option, check out our comparison of delta-9 and THC-O! Or, want something milder? Check out our THCv dosage guide.

Delta-9 Dosage: Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions we often get from customers about how to dose delta-9.

How much delta-9 should I take to get high?

The sweet spot varies for everyone, but to find a starting benchmark, multiply your weight in pounds by 0.1 (our medium-strength dosage formula) to find your psychoactive dose in mg.

How much delta-9 should I take for sleep?

A low-strength dose of delta-9 is typically sufficient for sleep — you can find your dose by multiplying your weight in pounds by 0.05.