Risks of microdosing weed as reasons people do it are revealed

A new trend is taking off among health and wellbeing fanatics, with many now exploring the potential benefits of consuming weed throughout the day - without ever getting high.

You might have heard about 'microdosing' psychoactive substances like magic mushrooms, which can help alleviate conditions like depression and anxiety, but some are now using extremely low doses of cannabis to get a fresh spring in their step.

This does not involve doing a tiny bong hit or a single toke on a blunt, but even smaller doses that don't even get you stoned. This can still provide some of the positive effects of the drug's psychoactive compound, THC, without turning your whole day into a hungry blur.

But while these microdosing advocates claim the practice can alleviate stress, anxiety, and chronic pain, as with any regular medication, there are a number of health and legal risks to consider before you start nibbling at an edible.

Some people are now taking tiny doses of THC to help them get through the day (Getty Images)

How does microdosing work?

Microdosing involves regularly taking tiny controlled doses of THC of around 2.5mg or below, never enough to effectively get stoned. Cannabis advocates BettaLyfe argue this can help to boost focus and productivity at work - the direct opposite of a 'macro' dose of weed.

This is about 25 times smaller than a single bong hit, which contains up to 30mg of THC, with BettaLyfe explaining: "The goal isn’t intoxication — it’s gentle support that fits into everyday routines."

Most in the microdosing community consume their tiny quantities of cannabis using either low-dose edibles, a controlled hit on a vaporizer, or using a THC tincture to place a single drop on the tongue

A Dutch weed cafe, De Kruidenier, says that taking this microdose can have a broad range of benefits, stating: "It’s also often used to boost creativity. A low dose of cannabis can broaden your mind without being overwhelming.

"Additionally, some users report subtle mood improvements, which can help tackle feelings of anxiety or a midday slump."

Microdosers take a single drop of THC to get the benefits of weed without the high (Getty Images)

What are the risks of microdosing?

While pain management and even better sleep might sound like tempting benefits of the practice, there are a number of risks to be aware of if you are going to start microdosing cannabis.

The first, according to substance misuse service Recovered, is that you have to find the right dose and way to administer the THC. The noticeable strength can also vary between products, so one edible might be different from another.

This could leave you feeling a bit more buzzed than planned, or feeling nothing whatsoever. Recovered stated: "Dosages of THC higher than 5mg can result in paranoia, dry mouth, dizziness, or mild cognitive impairment."

With legal cannabis being a relatively new product, the other risk is that you can never be too sure about whether each dose is the same, making it harder to keep up with a regular course of microdosing.

Getting this wrong, or developing a taste for a few too many THC drops, can cause you to develop a dependence on the drug, or even a tolerance which would require increasingly higher dosages to get the same effect.

And it is also worth remembering that cannabis is only legal in some form in around half of all US states, so there could be a further legal risk to possessing the edibles or THC in around 26 states.