The same milligram of THC behaves completely differently depending on how it enters your body. Learn the timing of each format — and you'll never be ambushed by an edible again.
superpower: reading the clock ✺
The master view
When each format hits — and fades
Effect strength over the hours after you use. Toggle formats and drag the marker through time. Notice how inhaling spikes and clears fast, while an edible arrives late and stays late.
The field guide
Six ways in
Onset is when you first feel it. Peak is the strongest point. Duration is roughly how long the main effects last. Bioavailability is how much THC actually reaches your bloodstream.
The classic mistake
The edible re-dose trap
Almost every overwhelming edible story follows the same three beats. Here's the trap — and how to step around it.
0:00 · the dose
You take 10 mg
A reasonable starting edible. Onset for edibles is slow — often 45 minutes to 2 hours.
on board: 10 mg
0:45 · the doubt
"I don't feel anything"
Still climbing. This is the danger window — it feels like nothing's happening, but it hasn't landed yet.
on board: 10 mg (felt: ~0)
2:00 · the ambush
Both doses peak at once
The 10 mg you forgot about and the 15 mg you added arrive together. Now it's 25 mg, and it's a lot.
on board: 25 mg
The rule that saves the night: after an edible, wait a full 2 hours before taking any more. If you remember nothing else from this guide, remember that.
Need it fast or short?
Inhaling (vaporizer > smoking for your lungs) gives you control: quick onset, quick feedback, and it's mostly gone within hours.
Need it long or discreet?
Edibles and tinctures last far longer and are easier on the lungs — at the cost of slow, less predictable onset. Plan around the timing.
Onset, peak & duration by route; bioavailability — Lucas et al., "The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cannabinoids," Br J Clin Pharmacol 2018. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6177698
Educational, not medical advice. Timings are typical ranges — your body, dose, and product will shift them. When in doubt, give it more time before adding more.