A short educational YouTube monologue by Sheri Caplan Stalino (founder of Connected Wellness) about how the form of medical cannabis affects onset and duration. She gives specific onset and duration ranges for tinctures (minutes–1.5–2 hrs; lasts 4–6 hrs), edibles (≈1.5–2 hrs to max effect; lasts ~10 hrs), capsules (minutes–1.5–2 hrs; lasts 4–6 hrs), and inhalation (full effect within 15 minutes; lasts ~2 hrs). She offers condition-specific recommendations (tinctures for neurological/mental-health and cancers above the ribcage; capsules for gastrointestinal issues and cancers below the ribcage), warns about edible dosing and inconsistent gummy dosing, and suggests combining inhalation with longer-acting forms for overnight relief. Encourages consulting physicians and careful dosing.
Questions this video answers
Anywhere from a few minutes up to 1.5–2 hours; duration ~4–6 hours.
Approximately 1.5–2 hours to maximum effect; duration about 10 hours.
From a few minutes up to 1.5–2 hours to take effect; duration ~4–6 hours.
Full effect within 15 minutes; duration about 2 hours.
Use low dosages and increase slowly; if recommended 5 mg, obtain a 5 mg edible rather than cutting a 10 mg gummy in half due to uneven distribution.
Are you confused about what form you should be taking your cannabis medicine in? I'm Sheri Caplan Stalino. I'm the founder of Connected Wellness. So what forms does medical cannabis come in for you to use as medicine? There are different delivery methods, obviously. I'm sure you've noticed there are tinctures, there are capsules, there are edibles, and there's inhalation. And those are the basic ones that you usually see from state to state. So the form that you're taking your cannabis medicine in will both affect how quickly it takes effect and how long it's going to last. So, tinctures take about anywhere from a few minutes to an hour and a half to two hours to take effect, but they do last four to six hours. Edibles such as chocolate and gummy bears, take approximately an hour and a half to two hours to get their maximum effect, but they do last for about 10 hours. Capsules usually take anywhere from a few minutes up to an hour and a half to two hours to take effect, but they also last for four to six hours. Now, inhalation, whether it's vaping or inhaling actual flour, these medicines, you know, usually react very quickly. So you inhale it within 15 minutes, you feel their full effect. However, it only lasts for two hours. So, great for immediate relief, but not necessarily long term. So. So which one is right for you? Well, if your doctor hasn't guided you, or if you want to go back to your doctor with some information, I have a few common sense thoughts that you might want to consider. So if you're using cannabis for neurological disorders, mental health disorders, or aiding in the treatment of different types of cancers, I usually say, you know, cancers from the rib cage up. Using tinctures is an easy way for your physicians to dose your medicine so that you can get exactly and specifically what you need into your system. If you have gastrointestinal disorders or you have cancers in the gastrointestinal region, or anything from the ribcage to the bottom of your torso, capsules are a great delivery method because you're actually getting the medicine closer to the receptor site areas that you need it. So, edibles, I have one thing to share with you about edibles. You need to use these at very low dosages and then slowly increase. So if your physician recommends that you take 5 milligrams, don't buy a 10 milligram gummy and cut it in half, because the technology of making gummies might not be in your area, depending on your manufacturer, that you have an equal amount of milligrams throughout that gummy. So if you cut it in half, you could have most of the medicine on one side and not as much on the other. I am sure as technology continues, we won't have that issue as much. But for right now, if your doctor recommends 5 milligrams, get yourself a 5 milligram edible. When you increase that to 10 milligrams, then jump up to a 10 milligram gummy. So remember, if you start too high and you take an edible, you're into it for 10 hours. So please, please, please be very careful with the dosing of edibles. Now, I know that many people like to inhale their medicine to go to sleep, but I want you to remember that inhalation only lasts two hours. So if you're going to use inhalation to go to sleep, make sure that you're dividing it up, maybe with a tincture or an edible, where you take half the dose in inhalation and half the dose in the edible or the tincture so that it can last throughout the night. So many people say, well, I smoked before I went to bed and then I woke up a few hours later. So to which I would say, of course you did. So if you want to make sure that you're getting your medicine that is lasting throughout the night, you're going to need to pick one of the other delivery methods. And capsules work as well throughout the night. So I want to say to you, listen to your physicians, take some of this common sense information back to your doctors with you if they haven't guided you. And I hope that's helpful. If you found it helpful, please like our page, subscribe to our channel. And remember, cannabis is a life changing medicine, but only you can change your life.
