Cannabis Tinctures
A cannabis tincture is a liquid extract dosed with a marked dropper and usually held under the tongue. It is the most precisely measurable format on the shelf, adjustable a fraction of a millilitre at a time.
Tinctures at a glance
- Dosed with
- A graduated dropper, in millilitres
- Onset
- Faster than a swallowed edible when held sublingually
- Adjustability
- The finest dose control of any format
- Smell
- None from use
What to know before you buy
Sublingual versus swallowed
Held under the tongue for a minute or so, a tincture is partly absorbed through the tissue there and tends to arrive sooner. Swallowed straight down or stirred into a drink, it behaves much more like a conventional edible.
Reading the dropper
The label gives total THC in the bottle and THC per millilitre. The dropper is graduated so you can take a quarter or half of a millilitre, which is how the format gives you finer control than any pre-portioned piece.
Ratios
Tinctures are often sold in THC-to-CBD ratios such as 1:1 or 1:3. The ratio is printed on the package, and is the main axis shoppers use to choose between bottles.
When tinctures is the right call
Format mechanics decide this more than anything printed on the label. These are the evenings tinctures suit, and why.
Not sure tinctures is your format?
Tinctures questions, answered
How is a cannabis tincture taken?
A measured amount is drawn with the graduated dropper and held under the tongue for around a minute before swallowing. It can also be added to a drink, in which case it behaves more like an edible.
Why choose a tincture over an edible?
A tincture can be adjusted a fraction of a millilitre at a time, so it offers finer dose control than a pre-portioned gummy or chocolate, and it produces no smell in use.