Mindful Dosing: Finding Your Sweet Spot

Cannabis brands are required to label dosage per serving, yet what’s not addressed is how a single dose per serving can cause completely different reactions in different humans. Rather than looking at THC/CBD simply in serving sizes, think of it in terms of doses that work for you, your body, and your desired effect. We call this “Mindful Dosing”. How does one figure this out? We like to start every session with a quick self audit.

What's a self-audit?

When you look in a mirror, what do you see? How would you describe yourself in simple adjectives? Hazel eyes, curly brown hair (and a few gray ones). A self audit is sort of like looking at a multi-dimensional mirror. It’s an exploration of your body, mind, surroundings, and mood.

So how does one chart the course for their own best experience? Before arriving at your destination, you need to know where you are starting from. A self audit is a way of taking inventory of your disposition in that exact moment; to check-in with yourself so that you can get a sense of where your mind and body are at in order to achieve that desired level of high or buzz.

How do you feel?

• Close your eyes, and shift your focus to your breath — slow deep inhale through your nose, long slow exhale through your mouth.
• Now, starting with your toes and working your way up, do a mental scan of your body. What are you noticing? Is anything hurting or sore?
• How do your clothes feel on your skin?
• How do you feel emotionally and mentally?

Where are you?

• Really try to tune into your surroundings. What do you hear? What do you smell?
• Do you feel a breeze or sunshine on your face?
• Are you feeling comfortable with where you are and who you’re with?

What's your vibe?

• Ask yourself: how does cannabis participate in the experience you are seeking? Is it helping to spice up the party? Are you using it to relax before sleep? Are you starting a new creative project? Or simply making a movie more sensational?
• Whatever your intention, setting one before you consume is a good way to determine just how far you want to lift off the ground and start flexing your mindful dosing muscles.

Take the self-audit for a spin prior to consumption and again at various moments after you feel the weed take effect. After a while, you may begin to notice that you’re doing self-audits often, not just when you plan to consume THC. Cannabis is just one of many tools that can help you connect with yourself in a more mindful way.

How much weed is enough weed?

Now that we’ve got the self audit down, it’s time to play around with different doses of THC to determine your personal sweet spot. We like to think of getting high as a spectrum of experiences and destinations, there’s a time and a place for all of them, but we want to be in control of where we land.

Remember, everyone is different - It’s OK if you can’t keep up with your dabbing colleague. Similarly, it’s OK if you need a few more hits to get the vibe right.

A buildable buzz

When consuming THC, it can be tough to undo a high that’s too far gone. Instead of popping a gummy in your mouth and hoping for the best, it’s always a safe bet to start light and build up slowly.

Build on it

We like to take it in increments of 2-5mg at a time when smoking or consuming edibles. This may be different for everyone. If you notice your tolerance is higher, step up your increments. We call this incremental consumption.

How do you take it?

Did you enjoy an edible? Perhaps a puff of some pungent, piney flower? It may go without saying, but be sure to note the onset time of whatever your consumption method and make sure to wait until you feel the herb take effect before increasing your dose.

Are you feeling it?

Do a quick self audit and determine if you like where you’ve landed. Note how many milligrams you’ve consumed and whether you want to take it any further. Gone too far? Focus on your breathing and remember that it will pass. When you come around the other side, note your limit and remember it for next time.

Whether you’re after the micro-dose or the macro-dose, incremental consumption can help you achieve the perfect buzz. Knowing your limits ensures that you’ll always feel good.