Does it feel like cannabis is losing its effect on you? Your body may have built up a tolerance over time, and the higher the tolerance gets, the more cannabis you need to consume to get the desired effects.
So, what causes a high tolerance? What are the risks of increasing cannabis tolerance? And how can you lower your weed tolerance? Follow our fool-proof guide below.
What Causes High Tolerance?
When you consume cannabis or cannabis products, THC activates the cannabinoid receptors (CB1) found in your central nervous system and your brain.
This activation is ultimately what's responsible for the intoxicating effects you experience after eating an edible or smoking a preroll.
However, as this activation of the CB1 receptors becomes more frequent, your cannabinoid receptors in the brain begin to recede, causing a lower density of CB1 receptors for the THC to bind with to create the often desired intoxicating effect.1 This may lead to users seeking out higher-THC products or the consumption of more THC with the assumption that they will experience the desired effects by just consuming more THC.
Of course, building tolerance isn't unique to cannabis. It's possible to develop a tolerance to many different things, including caffeine and alcohol.
Several different factors may determine how quickly you might develop a tolerance to cannabis.
The Strength of the Cannabis
The strength and potency of your weed significantly influence your tolerance to cannabis. If you’re smoking top-shelf bud with nearly 30% THC every day, you’ll build up a tolerance faster than a consumer who smokes strains with 10-20% THC.
Frequency of Use
Like strength and potency, the frequency of cannabis use indicates how quickly your body will build a tolerance. Daily users will have a higher tolerance (and develop the tolerance at a much faster rate) than occasional users.
A Person's Unique Biology
Tolerance isn’t just about consumption habits. Your unique biology, especially in your brain chemistry, plays a role in how quickly and extensively you develop a tolerance to cannabis and other drugs.
Are There Negative Health Effects of High Weed Tolerance?
A high weed tolerance, in itself, doesn't necessarily come with any adverse health effects. However, people with high tolerances typically consume significantly more cannabis than those with little or no tolerances. And this, unfortunately, is where the adverse health effects may come in for some individuals.
❌ Greater Risk of Respiratory Problems
Smoking anything, whether it be cannabis or something else, isn’t good for your lungs.
If you have a high tolerance, you'll need to smoke more cannabis to feel the same effects you're used to. Unfortunately, this naturally raises the risk of developing lung infections, inflammation, persistent coughing, and other respiratory problems.
❌ Potential Medical Interactions
A lesser-known risk of increased cannabis use is its potential interactions with several medications. For instance, cannabis use may adversely interact with several different antibiotics.
Not only that, THC is known for its potential interactions with SSRIs, a common type of antidepressant, which is designed to increase serotonin in the brain.
Finally, THC has the potential to interact with anesthesia, which may increase the risk of complications during surgery for heavy cannabis users.
❌ Greater Risk of General Adverse Effects
Whether you have a tolerance or not, cannabis use can produce adverse side effects in some consumers, especially in large dosages.
For instance, some people may feel anxious, dizzy, or nauseous after using cannabis. Because a high tolerance will typically lead to people using higher dosages, it naturally increases the risk of experiencing one or more of these undesirable side effects.
Furthermore, with greater tolerances and frequency of use, there could be a greater risk of developing a cannabis addiction or Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. CHS is a rare condition in which using cannabis causes severe and repeated vomiting. It typically arises after heavy, long-term cannabis use – which is more likely in users with high tolerances.
❌ Higher Cannabis Spending
Beyond adverse health effects, a high tolerance could negatively affect your wallet. A cannabis tolerance will have you consuming more weed. Consequently, this means that you'll need to spend more money at the dispensary.
Given the potential downsides of a higher tolerance, let’s look at the most effective ways to lower your weed tolerance.
How to Lower Weed Tolerance
✔ Take a Tolerance Break
Ultimately, the most effective and reliable way to lower your weed tolerance is by taking a tolerance break. A "T" break, as it is often called, involves taking up to four weeks off from cannabis use.
You develop a tolerance in the first place because of the reduced activation of CB1 receptors in your brain. But this isn’t permanent. Research on the subject has indicated these CB1 receptors begin to recover just two days after individuals abstain from THC and continue for up to four weeks.2
So, no matter how often or heavily you use cannabis, your tolerance can be lowered with a T break.
How long this break must be will depend on how developed your tolerance is and how frequently you use cannabis. Heavy users may need the entire four weeks, but more occasional users may only need a week or less.
✔ Reduce the Amount You Consume
If you're wondering how to lower your weed tolerance without taking a break, you can reduce the amount you consume. This may be the best course of action for medical cannabis patients who don’t have the luxury of abstaining entirely from cannabis use.
Instead of smoking a full preroll at the end of the day, you might only take a couple of hits from a bowl. You could even try microdosing.
Similarly, you can reduce the frequency with which you smoke. If you usually consume cannabis several times a day, try switching to once every day or two. One easy way to make this work is to use a one-hitter or chillum that only allows for small amounts of weed.
Again, reducing the amount of cannabis you consume may not be possible for certain medical cannabis patients who use specific dosages to treat medical conditions. If you are a medical cannabis patient looking to reduce your THC tolerance, consult with your physician before making any changes to your recommended dose.
✔ Try Cannabis With a Higher CBD-to-THC Ratio
Another thing you can try is switching to cannabis products with a much higher CBD-to-THC ratio than you typically use.
Many dispensaries offer patients a range of products rich in CBD that place a smaller emphasis on their THC content. Of course, CBD does not produce the same effects as THC, but the proper ratio may give you the desired results while simultaneously helping lower your cannabis tolerance.
✔ Switch Cannabis Strains
If you're the kind of cannabis connoisseur who tends only to purchase one specific strain of cannabis, try incorporating other strains or products into your routine. Every cannabis strain is unique: each offers varying levels of cannabinoids, as well as terpenes, that may change how the strain interacts with your body.
While it won’t be as effective as taking a T break or reducing your use, trying different strains can help you combat building a tolerance without completely stopping using cannabis.
✔ Try Consuming Different Kinds of Cannabis Products
Another thing to consider when trying to lower your THC tolerance is trying different methods of consumption.
For example, if you're someone who typically uses cannabis concentrates (which are incredibly potent), you can temporarily switch to smoking flower. If you usually smoke to alleviate muscle or joint pain, consider incorporating a non-intoxicating cannabis topical into your daily routine.
While it all may be cannabis, different consumption methods will uniquely affect your tolerance.
How to Maintain a Low Cannabis Tolerance
While all these methods can help lower your tolerance, they aren’t permanent solutions, and your tolerance may creep back up, especially if you're a frequent user.
Think of lowering your tolerance, like losing weight: occasional diets (or T breaks) can help, but the most effective solution is developing a routine you can stick to. You may consider combining the above recommendations – taking periodic breaks, reducing overall consumption, or avoiding super-potent products – into a sustainable routine.
While this may be a bit of a bummer, the good news is that your tolerance doesn't take that long to go back to normal, with research suggesting four weeks of abstinence from THC can reset the CB1 receptors.2
Conclusion
If you use cannabis products several times in a short time span, THC inevitably builds up in your system.
But while a high tolerance may make it feel necessary to consume more cannabis to produce the effects you're used to, there are plenty of things you can try to help lower or eliminate your tolerance.
- Ramaekers JG, Mason NL, Theunissen EL. Blunted highs: Pharmacodynamic and behavioral models of cannabis tolerance. European Neuropsychopharmacology. 2020;36:191-205. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.01.006 ↩︎
- D'Souza DC, Cortes-Briones JA, Ranganathan M, et al. Rapid Changes in CB1 Receptor Availability in Cannabis Dependent Males after Abstinence from Cannabis. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2016;1(1):60-67. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2015.09.008 ↩︎
The information in this article and any included images or charts are for educational purposes only. This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about laws, regulations, or your health, you should always consult with an attorney, physician or other licensed professional.
