Tincture
Liquid extract dosed by dropper. The most precise way to titrate an oral dose in small increments.
- Onset
- 15–90 minutes
- Duration
- 4–8 hours
Tinctures are the format published dosing protocols actually use. The 2021 Delphi consensus on cannabinoid dosing for chronic pain, and MacCallum and Russo's practical dosing paper, both work in oral milligram increments of the kind a dropper delivers.
Held under the tongue, some absorption is sublingual, which is faster than swallowing; the rest is swallowed and behaves like an edible. This makes onset less predictable than either pure route, but the fine dose control usually outweighs that.
For a conservative start, published guidance converges on roughly 1 to 2.5 mg of THC.
Advantages
- • Precise, adjustable dosing in small increments
- • No respiratory exposure
- • Partially faster onset than edibles
Trade-offs
- • Taste
- • Onset less predictable than inhalation
- • Requires measuring
Cautions
- • Read whether the label states mg per bottle or mg per millilitre — confusing the two is a common overdose route.
Best suited to
- • Careful titration
- • Medical use
- • Older adults and cannabis-naive users
Conditions where tincture is a suggested format
Sources
- Bhaskar A, Bell A, Boivin M, et al. Consensus recommendations on dosing and administration of medical cannabis to treat chronic pain: results of a modified Delphi process. Journal of Cannabis Research. 2021;3(1):22.(DOI 10.1186/s42238-021-00073-1 / PMID 34215346)Accessed 2026-08-15.
- MacCallum CA, Russo EB. Practical considerations in medical cannabis administration and dosing. European Journal of Internal Medicine. 2018;49:12-19.Accessed 2026-08-15.
- Health Canada. Cannabis: Lower your risks. Modified 2019-06-14.Accessed 2026-08-15.