Fellow Californian Cannabis users: How much consumption per week qualifies as a heavy user?

[Foxhound3857]

I haven't taken any in about three months as I've been playing it cautious with my new job, but now six months in I feel it's safe to begin consuming again.

My general usage is 20-30 milligrams a day - 5mg gummies and occasional puff of vape - twice a week on my off days, so I'd say roughly 60mgs a week is what my average consumption is. My brother says I might not even spike positive on a test if I were given one (which my work does not do), but I just thought I'd ask out of curiosity.

 

[kdonnel]

If your worried about work starting testing in the future you could always take one of the at home tests or pay for a lab test to see at what consumption level you start testing positive.

It is my understanding that the at home tests generally have the threshold for a positive set higher than a typical lab test.

Back in 2022 the US reached the point where daily cannabis use passed daily alcohol use in popularity. The most recent number I could find is 40% of cannabis users use daily or near daily but nothing that mentioned dosage.

 

[neverlandsky]

Depending on the test you can test positive with just CBD gummies. It’s going to come down to the type of test.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Depending on the test you can test positive with just CBD gummies. It’s going to come down to the type of test.

Oh I'm not worried about actually having to test, it's not a requirement at work even for leadership. This was purely morbid curiosity as to how much consumptiion in a weeks time makes you a Light, Moderate or Heavy user. I can't seem to find any hard numbers even with Googles assistance.

 

[disneychrista]

If you think you are using too much then you probably are.

Is taking 4-5 shots of alcohol and a couple beers a day a lot to you? Even if on a day off?

 

[Foxhound3857]

If you think you are using too much then you probably are.

Is taking 4-5 shots of alcohol and a couple beers a day a lot to you? Even if on a day off?

Are you just throwing out an example? I rarely drink at all these days, maybe once a month. I see what it does to my own mother and I just have no desire to, except if I'm in Vegas.

When I do drink, it's generally 2-3 beers or vodka cocktails.

 

[disneychrista]

Are you just throwing out an example? I rarely drink at all these days, maybe once a month. I see what it does to my own mother and I just have no desire to, except if I'm in Vegas.

When I do drink, it's generally 2-3 beers or vodka cocktails.

I am equating a gummy to a shot and a puff to a beer.

 

[Foxhound3857]

I am equating a gummy to a shot and a puff to a beer.

I get more buzzed from the alcohol then I do from a gummi or a puff. So I'd maybe equate each to half of their alcoholic counterpart.

 

[disneychrista]

I get more buzzed from the alcohol then I do from a gummi or a puff. So I'd maybe equate each to half of their alcoholic counterpart.

This could very well be because your tolerance to the pot is higher than alcohol, since you said you rarely drink. From what I have read 5mg is considered a single dose or the equivalent of one drink/shot. It may take 2-3 gummies to get a good high, just as it could take 2-3 drinks to get a buzz.

 

[Foxhound3857]

This could very well be because your tolerance to the pot is higher than alcohol, since you said you rarely drink. From what I have read 5mg is considered a single dose or the equivalent of one drink/shot. It may take 2-3 gummies to get a good high, just as it could take 2-3 drinks to get a buzz.

I haven't taken any cannabis in three months though. And that's generally how I feel when I start using it again. I've always taken frequent tolerance breaks, usually a month in duration each.

 

[Grand Koalafornian]

"Heavy" cannabis use is defined as daily or nearly daily use, about .5 grams or more smoked per day, so probably 50-150 mg of THC per day, and if you make decisions around the ability to use (e.g. skipping work to smoke). People who started early in life (during or even before adolescence) are more likely to have altered brain structure, so starting as an adult is much safer. There are people who use daily or near daily who exhibit no ill effects, and people who use occasionally who do, so problematic use can be difficult to define.

If you think you are using too much then you probably are.

Is taking 4-5 shots of alcohol and a couple beers a day a lot to you? Even if on a day off?

I've known someone who was worried about her alcohol use because she had a single drink in a social setting "almost every weekend!" (maybe 10 drinks total in 3 months). Being concerned is not enough to tell you whether or not you are using too much if you are otherwise anxious or had parents or relatives with substance use problems who lied about the amount they consumed.

A single 5mg gummy is not remotely comparable to a shot, and this is coming from someone who cuts her gummies into 2.5 mg doses. Where did you get 5 mg as an equivalent to a shot? It does not impair the mind or damage the body nearly as much as a shot of alcohol. Yes, in your hyperbole situation, that is a lot of alcohol, but it's equivalent to about 3x as much cannabis as OP uses.

 

[Dan Murphy]

This is one of the stranger threads I've seen here in the past 26 years. And I have seen a lot of strange ones here.

 

[kdonnel]

This is one of the stranger threads I've seen here in the past 26 years. And I have seen a lot of strange ones here.

I think it is refreshing.

Society’s rules have said we can celebrate our alcohol use but must hide any other drug used for the same purpose.

Those rules look to be finally changing.