Short answer
Start with 2.5 mg of THC or less. Wait 2 hours before eating a second piece. Most adult-use states cap one serving of edible THC at 10 mg. Some cap it at 5 mg. A swallowed cookie takes 30 to 120 minutes to act and lasts 4 to 8 hours. It does not work like smoked flower.
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Dose ranges on store labels
- 2.5 mg THC: low dose. Common starting point for new users and for adults over 60.
- 5 mg THC: half of a standard serving in many states.
- 10 mg THC: one serving in Colorado, Washington, California, and other states. Package totals are capped at 100 mg in most adult-use markets.
- Above 10 mg: sold as multi-serving. Cut the cookie into equal pieces.
- CBD: 10 to 50 mg per cookie appears in 1:1 and 2:1 products. Evidence for CBD alone in chronic pain is weak.
Onset, peak, duration
Chewing and swallowing moves THC through the stomach and liver. The liver converts THC into 11-hydroxy-THC. That metabolite crosses the blood-brain barrier with more effect per milligram than THC from smoke. Blood levels peak 1 to 3 hours after eating. Effects fade 4 to 8 hours later. A large meal delays onset. An empty stomach does not speed it up much.
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Smoked or vaped THC peaks in 10 minutes. That gap causes most bad edible experiences. A person eats a cookie, feels nothing at 45 minutes, eats the rest, then hits the peak of both doses at once.
Cookie formats in a dispensary
Single cookies, cookie bites, and 10-packs of small cookies. Read the milligram total on the package, not the size of the cookie. A large cookie can hold 100 mg. A small one can hold 5 mg. Homemade or gifted cookies carry no tested number. Treat them as unknown.
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Label accuracy varies. Tests of edibles sold in US dispensaries found THC content within 10 percent of the label in some samples and off by more than 20 percent in others. Testing rules differ by state.
Build a dose log
- Note the time of the first bite, the milligram amount, and the pain score on a 0 to 10 scale.
- Record the time when you feel a change.
- Record the pain score again at 2 hours, 4 hours, and 8 hours.
- Hold the same dose for 3 days before changing it.
- Change one variable at a time: dose, product type, CBD ratio, or food.
Keep the cookie out of reach of children and pets. Store it in the original package.
What the evidence shows
A 2017 National Academies review found substantial evidence that cannabis reduces chronic pain in adults. Most trials used smoked or vaporized flower, not cookies. Trials of oral THC in cancer pain and multiple sclerosis spasticity show small to moderate relief. No cannabis product is FDA approved for pain. Epidiolex, a CBD drug, is approved for seizures.
Side effects at 10 mg and above include drowsiness, dry mouth, faster heart rate, and anxiety. THC adds to the sedation of opioids, alcohol, and benzodiazepines.
Questions for store staff
- What is the THC milligram total for the whole cookie?
- Is there a 1:1 THC to CBD version?
- When was this batch tested?
- What is the state serving limit?
This is general information. Talk to a clinician about pain that is new, worsening, or tied to a medical condition.