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.

 

[cabanafrau]

There is a lot happening in the area of cannabis testing, largely looking to the parameters of intoxication and driving, etc. Your brother is incorrect, a lab test absolutely will pick up your usage.

Another area that's getting serious attention with cannabis use is the connection between regular use and the development of dementia. I'm not the temperance police. Zero interest in what anybody else chooses to do as long as they are not a menace to society on the roads or such.

I have however worked within the legal system for about two decades now and I can tell you that the idea that weed is natural, mellows you out, isn't as detrimental as alcohol, etc. is not accurate. I've seen way too many people who only use weed and nothing else unable to give up their daily habit to routinely show up for work, get their kids to school, feed their kids, stay conscious enough to recognize they have kids, to the point where they lose parental rights because they refuse outright to give up their habit. I've also seen way too many horrendous violent crimes committed by offenders with heavy weed habits, nothing more. Taking away weed from a regular user will get just as nasty a response as you would expect from the nastiest alcoholic who's been living at the bottom of the bottle for decades. Today's cannabis is not what was wafting in the air at the amphitheater when Fleetwood Mac was at the top of the charts.

If you're gonna use, use responsibly and safely.

 

[disneychrista]

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.

Being concerned is absolutely a sign you need to reconsider something. Does it absolutely mean you have a problem? No. I’d say it is especially important if you had a parent who had a substance use disorder.

A 5 mg dose does effect the mind in a similar way as a single shot of alcohol. THC is in no way safer than alcohol. One may need to consume 2-3-4 gummies to get a good high. Just as one might need 2-3-4 drinks to get a good buzz.

 

[tasha99]

There is a lot happening in the area of cannabis testing, largely looking to the parameters of intoxication and driving, etc. Your brother is incorrect, a lab test absolutely will pick up your usage.

Another area that's getting serious attention with cannabis use is the connection between regular use and the development of dementia. I'm not the temperance police. Zero interest in what anybody else chooses to do as long as they are not a menace to society on the roads or such.

I have however worked within the legal system for about two decades now and I can tell you that the idea that weed is natural, mellows you out, isn't as detrimental as alcohol, etc. is not accurate. I've seen way too many people who only use weed and nothing else unable to give up their daily habit to routinely show up for work, get their kids to school, feed their kids, stay conscious enough to recognize they have kids, to the point where they lose parental rights because they refuse outright to give up their habit. I've also seen way too many horrendous violent crimes committed by offenders with heavy weed habits, nothing more. Taking away weed from a regular user will get just as nasty a response as you would expect from the nastiest alcoholic who's been living at the bottom of the bottle for decades. Today's cannabis is not what was wafting in the air at the amphitheater when Fleetwood Mac was at the top of the charts.

If you're gonna use, use responsibly and safely.

I think they will find a lot of bad side effects now that a larger population is smoking marijauna publicly enough to be studied. Nothing with that large of a pharaceutical effect could be risk free. But crimes by weed-only smokers? That seems far fetched and almost makes me wonder if the weed wasn't only weed (especially in places it isn't "legal.") I smoked pot heavily last year as a cope for cancer (not for pain--it's a really poor pain med). I had no issue stopping for a week or two before surgeries (3x--not hard any of them). If you had "the nastiest alcoholic who's been living at the bottom of the bottle for decades" quit like that, they'd die.

 

[cabanafrau]

I think they will find a lot of bad side effects now that a larger population is smoking marijauna publicly enough to be studied. Nothing with that large of a pharaceutical effect could be risk free. But crimes by weed-only smokers? That seems far fetched and almost makes me wonder if the weed wasn't only weed (especially in places it isn't "legal.") I smoked pot heavily last year as a cope for cancer (not for pain--it's a really poor pain med). I had no issue stopping for a week or two before surgeries (3x--not hard any of them). If you had "the nastiest alcoholic who's been living at the bottom of the bottle for decades" quit like that, they'd die.

Don't fool yourself, crimes by weed-only users has been happening for a long time, a very long time. Like I said, I've been seeing it in my job for nearly two decades, and it's only been in the last handful that it's been legal here.

I'm well aware of what happens with those using substances. Everybody expects the behaviors of those using benzos/opioids. What's less talked about are the determined and persistent behaviors of those regularly using cannabis. They are no less fixated on maintaining their usage and come with many of the same laundry list of reasons why their use "isn't a problem", "helps them", "is only occasional"(while testing proves otherwise), "is necessary because of X, Y or Z". I've been in discussions with lots of professionals on all aspects of the issue. Even defense attorneys who are now specializing in this aspect of the law have conceded off the record that what's being seen is likely to have something to do with the modern strains that are prevalent now, which are generally much more potent across the board than what was prevalent in mom and dad's day.

Far fetched? No, it's happening in communities all around and has been for years. Despite stereotypes it's quite often far less like dealing with a hang loose, surfer attitude and far more like suddenly running up against a 700 pound gorilla with no guardrails on emotion or behavior. If I had to guesstimate 95%+ of domestic violence incidents passing through our court system here have cannabis involvement, with a VERY LARGE proportion of those being cannabis only involved, not even alcohol included.

Interesting you point out how the hardened alcoholic will die if denied continued use. Marijuana's not addicting is the long-standing mantra -- not like "hard drugs". If I had a nickel for every time a regular user explained to a judge why their continued use is therapeutic/helpful/non-probematic and shouldn't be barred . . .

A lot of the old stereotypes are from back in the day and are flat-out incorrect or simply don't hold true with modern strains. No, it absolutely does not require the presence of other substances for things to spiral out of control in serious and aggressive ways.

 

[Dan Murphy]

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.

Yes, for sure.

 

[tvguy]

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.

In the Western World, yes for the most part. Just don't try bringing it into a National Park, still against Federal Law. We took a tour of Alcatraz and Yosemite and in both cases, Park Rangers warned marijuana and CBD products are still illegal there. And it is a huge issue right now for the cruise industry because they have to follow International Law and go to places where such products are still illegal. Punishable by the Death Penalty some places, like Saudi Arabia and Singapore.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Being concerned is absolutely a sign you need to reconsider something. Does it absolutely mean you have a problem? No. I’d say it is especially important if you had a parent who had a substance use disorder.

A 5 mg dose does effect the mind in a similar way as a single shot of alcohol. THC is in no way safer than alcohol. One may need to consume 2-3-4 gummies to get a good high. Just as one might need 2-3-4 drinks to get a good buzz.

I'm not concerned about it, I'm just curious what the hard numbers say about how much one has to consume regularly to be considered a heavy or moderate user. There does not seem to be any hard-written criteria about how much one has to consume to be labeled a regular, moderate or heavy user.

As I said, I only use twice a week at most, on my off days, and I have strict rules about my consumption: Never on a work day or the evening before. Never if I have to go somewhere the next day. And generally I only take it at night and time each dose. In the case of gummies, it's generally 3 hours per 10mg piece.

Make no mistake, I do have my addictions, probably bad enough to interfere with normal life, but Cannabis is not one of them. What are they? Sleeping/napping, and video games.