How Much THC Is Safe?

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In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

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❝What dose of THC is safe, is there a safe limit or is it more about using it too frequently?❞

Fantastic questions, and science is starting to catch up on these things! We say “catch up”, as research in the US in particular was held up for a long time due to the “war on drugs”, which didn’t really reduce drug usage, but it sure did cramp science.

Now, bad news first:

❝Although the only way of ensuring no harm from cannabis is to not use at all, people who use cannabis could benefit from accurate information regarding their risk❞

For more on that, see: Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG) for reducing health harms from non-medical cannabis use: A comprehensive evidence and recommendations update

This is a little similar the World Health Organization’s declaration that the only safe amount of alcohol is zero: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health, and for more on the relative risks of alcohol vs THC, see our previous article on that topic:

Alcohol vs THC

More recently, researchers (Dr. Rachel Thorn et al.) have proposed cannabis “units” based on THC content, similar to alcohol units, to help people monitor use and reduce harm.

• How the unit works: one standard THC unit equals 5 mg of THC, shifting focus from how often cannabis is used to how much psychoactive substance is actually consumed.
• Safer-use threshold for adults: the study suggests adults shouldn’t exceed 8 THC units per week.
  • Please note that this does not say “safe”, it says “safer”, i.e. it is relatively less unsafe than…
• Higher-risk levels: risk of more severe cannabis use disorder, which rises above about 13 THC units per week in adults.

This numbers are based on a longitudinal study that followed 150 cannabis users over 12 months, and in the study sample…

• 80% of adults using below 8 THC units did not meet criteria for cannabis use disorder
• 70% of adults using above this level did meet the criteria for cannabis use disorder

That’s not an arbitrary distinction; cannabis use disorder is characterized by impaired control, cravings, and interference with work, family, or social functioning, and affects an estimated 22% of regular users.

You can read more about that, here: What is cannabis use disorder? And how do you know if you have a problem?

And, for that matter: Cannabis & Mental Health: Good Or Bad?

As for the study itself, here it is for you: Estimating thresholds for risk of cannabis use disorder using standard delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) units

So, what does this mean for medical usage?

There can be tradeoffs.

For example, another team of researchers (Dr. Danielle Haley et al.) found that states legalizing cannabis for both medical and adult recreational use saw a 9-to-11-percentage-point decline in daily opioid use.

This is important, because as she points out, increased access to regulated cannabis allows for substitution away from an unstable and toxic opioid supply, lowering overdose risk in a population where opioids account for more than 75% of fatal overdoses in the US.

Further,

❝The magnitude of decrease in opioid use that we observed among a population that is experienced with opioid use and likely to experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms after reducing this use is very profound and important❞

Here’s a pop-science article about that, and you can also click through to the study itself:

Cannabis legalization may lead to a decline in daily opioid use

Want to learn more?

Check out:

Cannabis Myths vs Reality

Take care!