Care When Dosing Edibles
Making cannabutter is easy; it's figuring out the correct dosages that are tricky. On average, only around 60% of the THC and other cannabinoids is extracted from the plant material when making dairy cannabutter. You also need to factor in the loss of THC, which occurs when the raw form THCA is converted into THC as we know it through decarboxylation.
Edibles are not a "one size fits all" indulgence. When using the same amount of cannabis per batch, you will be at risk from the many variables affecting the butter's final potency. These variables include the heat levels, the strain of cannabis chosen, and the person's tolerance to eating it.
Accurately dosing your edibles at home is virtually impossible. It is challenging to work out an edibles' potency; even professionals struggle without lab analysis. However, there are some best practices that you can try to make an educated estimate of how potent your finished food may be.
For example:
I have 5g of Gelato, with an average THC strength of 20% or 200mg of THCA per 1g of Flower. 200mg x the 5g I have =1000mg THCA.
The conversion of THCA to THC is 0.88 so 1000mg x 0.88= 880mg.
880mg is the maximum THC that will be extracted during decarboxylation.
Ideally, you retain 60% of that THC when making dairy cannabutter.
So, 880mg x 0.6= 528mg. This is the maximum THC likely to be contained by your finished cannabutter.
Finally, if your block of butter weighs 500g, we can divide the 528mg by 500 to get the estimated mg of THC per 1g of cannabutter. In this case it is 528mg/ 500g = 1.05mg per 1g of cannabutter
You can then use this information to dose your edible recipes responsibly. Substitute the correct amount of cannabutter for regular butter depending on how many mg of THC you want each serving or portion to contain. The generally accepted guidelines on potency are as follows;
New/inexperienced users: 1-5 mg per serving.
Those with a moderate tolerance: 5-10mg per serving.
Experienced edible veterans 10-20mg per serving.
As previously discussed, this calculation is still just an estimate, and your results may still vary. Therefore, the best thing to do is always approach with caution, regardless of whatever strength you "think" your edibles are. If anyone else will be eating your infused food, you should always make them fully aware of what is in it. Try a small piece and wait 2 hours to see the effects before you indulge further.
L
Liz Filmer
