There is no official cannabis dose for arthritis. No health agency has published one, and the plant does not come with a label that tells you how much to take. What clinicians and experienced users suggest instead is a starting range: 1 to 2.5 mg of THC by mouth, or 10 to 25 mg of CBD, then small increases every few days until joint pain and morning stiffness ease without leaving you foggy or anxious.

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Why there is no single number

THC, CBD, and the minor cannabinoids and terpenes in a flower or gummy act on your endocannabinoid system. That system differs from person to person. Liver enzymes (CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 in particular), body fat, tolerance, age, whether you ate first, and the other medications you take all shift how a dose lands. A dose that moves one person's knee pain from a 7 to a 3 can leave another person on the couch for three hours.

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Starting doses by route

Oral (edibles, capsules, swallowed oils)

Oral cannabis peaks in 60 to 120 minutes and can last 6 to 8 hours. That long tail is why edible mistakes happen: people take more at the 45 minute mark because they feel nothing yet.

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Inhaled (flower, vape)

Effects arrive in 5 to 15 minutes, peak near 30 minutes, and fade in 2 to 3 hours. Take one or two small puffs, then wait 15 minutes before a third. Inhaled cannabis is easier to titrate because each puff is a small step, but the relief window is short and it is not a good fit for anyone with lung problems.

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Sublingual tinctures

Held under the tongue, effects show up in 15 to 45 minutes. It sits between smoking and eating for speed and control, which makes it a popular choice for evening stiffness.

Topicals

Salves, balms, patches, and roll-ons with CBD or THC act at the site with little to no psychoactivity, so reapplication is low risk. Evidence for them is thin, and the honest description of typical results is modest and short lived. They pair well with an oral dose rather than replacing it.

A titration schedule that works

  1. Days 1 to 3: 1 mg THC or 10 mg CBD, once daily, in the evening.
  2. Days 4 to 6: same dose twice daily, or raise to 2 mg once daily.
  3. Days 7 to 10: 2.5 mg twice daily if the first week gave partial relief.
  4. Weeks 2 to 3: increase by 1 to 2.5 mg every 3 to 4 days.
  5. Stop raising when pain drops by roughly 30 percent, or when side effects appear. If side effects show up first, drop back to the previous step and hold there.

CBD on its own

CBD will not get you high, which makes it appealing for daytime use. Human trials for joint pain are few and small, and doses used in research run from about 10 mg to 50 mg per day. Higher amounts (100 mg and up) are studied mostly in epilepsy and anxiety, not arthritis. Above roughly 200 mg, most people hit a point of diminishing returns for the cost.

What to write down

Two weeks of notes tells you more about your dose than any chart online.

Interactions and safety

Tell your rheumatologist and your pharmacist what you are using. THC adds to the sedation from opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol. CBD inhibits some liver enzymes and can raise blood levels of warfarin, certain seizure medications, and some immunosuppressants. Do not stop or lower your prescribed arthritis medication on your own. Cannabis eases symptoms; it does not slow joint damage, so DMARDs and biologics still do the work that matters. Skip it during pregnancy, and use caution with a personal or family history of psychosis. Daily high-THC use can bring tolerance, dependency, and rebound pain in some people.

When to change course

If two weeks of steady titration gives you nothing, a different ratio or route is a better bet than a bigger dose. If you need a rising dose to get the same relief, that is tolerance, and a break or a switch to a CBD-forward product usually helps more than pushing higher.