Finding the Right Medical Dosage for Your Medicinal Marijuana
With Ohio adopting a legal medical marijuana program by September 8th, 2017, many patients are beginning to research how much cannabis they need to consume to experience relief of their symptoms. (Note: an Ohio MMJ card is not yet available).
Unfortunately, this is not an easy question to answer. Most supplements either undergo rigorous clinical trials or have a significant textbook history that demonstrates successful dosages.
Marijuana, on the other hand, has not been through enough studies to understand what the proper dosage is for various conditions. Another problem is that many marijuana supplements are not standardized. When supplements are standardized, tests are performed to ensure that they contain a minimum percentage of the important therapeutic compounds.
Therapeutic Compounds in Marijuana
THC and cannabidiol are two of the most well-known compounds in medical marijuana. However, there are more than 100 different chemical compounds each with their own beneficial effects. Different strains of marijuana can exert different effects on people. One strain may be too energizing where another could be sedating. Increasing or lowering the dosage could alleviate or change the experience.
To further compound the issue, medical marijuana has multiple delivery methods including edibles, sublingual, vaporizing, transdermal, and smoking. Dosages will vary between these methods as well. It should be noted that Cincinnati medical marijuana laws will not allow smoking.
Therefore, it can be difficult for patients to find out what works for them without first experimenting.
Marijuana pills may be one good option as certain companies are beginning to standardize the dosages.
If you’re using CBD oil for pain, it may be a good idea to start at the lowest dosage on the bottle placed under your tongue sublingually. Patients have reported as little as 1 milligram of CBD producing significant pain-reducing effects. If you do not notice any effects, increase your dosage by another milligram. Continue this process until you find the dosage that works best for your situation.
