jason-crawford

Medically Reviewed by
Jason Crawford

Article Last Updated on January 1, 2023

As the cannabis plant continues to rise in popularity all over the world, people who’ve tried or are thinking about trying weed have a lot of questions regarding cannabis. A common one that has been asked on a lot of forums and comments in weed articles is how long does a gram of weed last – which is the main topic of this article.

When it comes to cannabis consumption, medical marijuana users need to take strict doses, while recreational users can choose how much weed they smoke according to their own tolerance levels and preference. The reason medical marijuana users consume specific doses of weed is because they take them in order to treat or control a medical condition, like chronic pain or epilepsy, to name a few.

If you want to look through some of our previous articles like how long can your oil cartridge last and how many edibles I should eat, follow the links we’ve provided, but if you’re interested in today’s topic, read on. 

What Affects Your Cannabis High?

Before talking about how long a gram of weed lasts, we first must look into the factors that affect how much weed you’ll need. The most important ones include:

  • The cannabinoid content in your weed. The ratio of THC to CBD and why you’re consuming it will affect how long your weed will last. 
  • Your prefered method of consumption. You need a different amount of weed for a joint, a dab, or a bowl.
  • The amount of weed you consume. The more weed you consume, the larger quantity of weed you’ll need to purchase.
  • Your tolerance to weed. First-time users need less weed compared to frequent users.
  • Whether you use weed on its own, or you combine it with other substances. Combining weed with other drugs, prescription medication, or alcohol can increase its effects, but may also result in users experiencing unpleasant side-effects.

How Long Can a Weed High Last?

Depending on the factors we’ve mentioned in the previous paragraph, as well as the cannabis consumption method of choice, a weed high can last between 2 hours and 9 hours. In general, there are three methods of cannabis consumption:

  • Inhalation (When consuming weed by inhaling cannabis smoke, users can expect their high to last between 2-8 hours depending on how much weed they’ve consumed);
  • Ingestion (Ingesting edibles can result in a high that lasts between 2 hours and a whole day, depending on how much you’ve consumed and whether or not you’ve had edibles on an empty stomach);
  • Topical application (Applying cannabis topicals doesn’t result in a cannabis high, rather pain relief for patients who are suffering from localized chronic pain or athletes who are looking to recover faster after strenuous training, and others).

Cannabis Consumers and Their Cannabis Consumption Methods

Every cannabis user remembers the first time they consumed weed and how that first experience led them into a relaxing high with an Indica strain or a creative and energizing streak with a Sativa strain. To answer your question on how long a gram of weed lasts, we need to go over the most common cannabis consumption methods.

Joints and Blunts

Smoking a joint or a blunt is one of the most common cannabis smoking methods. The former is made by placing ground up and dried cannabis flowers into rolling paper and rolling them into a joint, while the latter is made with tobacco paper. 

Some cannabis users add tobacco to their joints, which makes a spliff, and others add cannabis concentrates, kief, moon rocks, and other cannabis products to increase the potency, and with that their high.

Vaporizers

Vape pens have become the most popular smoking device in the last few years. Vaping is an alternative to smoking joints or blunts and is marketed as a healthier way to get high compared to joints or blunts. Vaporizers and vape pens vaporize the cannabinoids at a lower temperature compared to the combustion temperature of joints and blunts and the smoke produced contains fewer carcinogens and toxins than regular marijuana smoke. 

Bongs

Bongs are another cannabis consumption method which can make you higher faster since you’re inhaling larger quantities of marijuana smoke. This smoking device offers a smoother inhale compared to smoking a joint or a blunt.

Pipes

Pipes are a common smoking device for both tobacco and cannabis. They are easy to use and multifunctional, so if you smoke tobacco and cannabis, you can use your pipe for both.

Dab Rigs

Dabs are potent extracts with high THC levels which use the method of flash evaporation to produce the marijuana vapor. Dabbing is often used by more experienced cannabis users since dabs provide more intense effects compared to other cannabis consumption methods like smoking a joint.

Edibles

Edibles are another popular way of consuming the cannabis plant. You can find them in the form of weed brownies, gummies, lozenges, chocolates, cookies, and other products made with cannabutter or cannabis oil. If you’re a regular marijuana user looking for a more intense high, you might benefit from looking at our guide on how to make strong weed brownies.

How Long Will a Gram Of Weed Last?

Some users may need an ounce of weed per week, others will go through half an ounce, and some can even go a full month on just a few grams of weed. The amount of time that passes before you take another trip to the dispensary and buy more cannabis after you’ve bought your gram of weed will depend on several factors.

  • Whether you’re a recreational user or a medical cannabis user (recreational users can consume weed as much as they’d like when they please, while medical users need to take specific doses at specific times);
  • Your tolerance levels (different cannabis users purchase different quantities of weed depending on how tolerant they are to it, so people with a high tolerance need larger quantities compared with people who’ve just started to smoke weed. Newbie users need even less weed to get high since their bodies aren’t as tolerant to the weed metabolites as those who consume weed more frequently).

Cannabis Users and Their Tolerance Levels

So let’s give an estimation on how much people of various tolerance levels consume according to online information from blogs and forums.

  • Occasional users can go through a gram of weed in one month if they consume one 0.5 gram joint every two weeks or one 0.5 gram bowl per week.
  • Regular users who prefer keeping their weed tolerance low may go through a gram of weed in one week.
  • Chronic users may go through 1 gram of weed in one day.

Conclusion

The period of time that one gram of weed will last for a user is very individual. Some users can go through a gram of weed in one day, while others can ration their weed and make it last a month. Whatever your tolerance levels may be, it’s always important to consume weed responsibly if you want to have the best weed smoking experience.

A passionate advocate for the benefits of cannabis. Fraser Horton, who has a background in botany and a strong love of nature, has spent years researching how cannabis affects the body and mind. He established Leaf Nation in 2020, where he has devoted himself to educating people about the legalisation of marijuana and its safe and responsible use. Fraser is committed to highlighting cannabis’ potential for improving wellness and working to dispel the stigma associated with its use.

Disclaimer

The information presented on this page is provided as a public service to aid in education and is derived from sources believed to be reliable. Readers are responsible for making their own assessment of the topics discussed here. In no event shall Leaf Nation be held reliable for any injury, loss or damage that could happen if using or abusing drugs.