How Long Is This High Going To Last?

For as long as many cannabis consumers can remember there has been an ongoing debate about how long your “high” will last. Alas, science has settled that debate. Sort of…

In 2021, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, published a study conducted by a team researchers led by Danielle McCarthy of the University of Sydney. They identified that the “window of impairment” lasts anywhere from three to ten hours and depends on several factors which include; the THC dose, the means of ingestion and the consumers previous cannabis experience. That is a lot of variables but the general consensus is the high will last for four hours.

The mode of consumption is a large variable. Smoking a low THC testing joint will give consumers a high for about three hours. However, a heavy dabbing session or a heavy hitting edible may keep you high for six to ten hours.

A comprehensive analysis of 80 scientific studies focused on cannabis impairment and driving found that most users regained their driving skills five hours after inhaling 20 milligrams of THC. Consumers who ingested the same amount of THC in edible form took longer to recover their driving skills.

Consumers should consider eating their THC will result in a high that comes on later and lasts longer. Data from the aforementioned studies show consuming edibles will take an hour before effects are felt. Those same studies show those who consume edibles take twice as long to regain their driving skills as those who smoked their THC.

Our analysis indicates that impairment may last up to 10 hours if high doses of THC are consumed orally,” said McCartney, who works with the Australian university’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics. “A more typical duration of impairment, however, is four hours, when lower doses of THC are consumed via smoking or vaporization and simpler tasks are undertaken.”

That impairment—which cannabis consumers may experience as feeling high, or stoned, or deeply relaxed, or sleepy, or mirthful, or creative—“may extend up to six or seven hours if higher doses of THC are inhaled and complex tasks, such as driving, are assessed,” McCartney added.

McCarthy and her team asserted for the purposes of this particular study; they consider 10 milligrams to be a moderate dose for a regular consumer. However, that same dose could be considered a heavy dose for an occasional consumer.

Regular cannabis consumers have a higher tolerance for the effects of THC. Co -author of the study, Dr. Thomas Arkell, also from the Lambert Initiative, said, “We found that impairment is much more predictable in occasional cannabis users than regular cannabis users. Heavy users show significant tolerance to the effects of cannabis on driving and cognitive function, while typically displaying some impairment.”

While there seems there is no concrete answer to the ever pressing question of, “how long is this high going to last?”, there are some scientific guidelines to help us understand which factors will play a role in determining that answer for each individual.