A cannabis tincture is a liquid cannabis extract you take by the dropper, usually under the tongue or stirred into a drink. Because each dropper is marked in milliliters, tinctures make it easier than most products to take a small, consistent dose. Here's what's in the bottle, how to use and dose it, how to make one at home and how to choose when you shop.
What a cannabis tincture is: alcohol- and oil-based drops
Strictly speaking, a tincture is an extract made with alcohol, which dissolves cannabis compounds readily and keeps well. Today the word also covers drops made with a food oil, such as MCT or olive oil, and occasionally glycerin.
- Alcohol-based: thin and quick to mix into drinks, with a sharp taste some people notice. It tends to keep the longest.
- Oil-based: milder, a little thicker and easy to add to food. Oils can turn rancid over time.
- Glycerin-based: sweet and alcohol-free, though less common.
Most bottles come with a glass dropper marked in milliliters, which is the key to measuring.
A short history: from pharmacy shelves to prohibition
Western medicine took up cannabis in the mid-1800s, and the United States Pharmacopoeia described it from 1850. By the 1890s, drug companies in Europe and the United States were selling cannabis extracts and tinctures.
Medical use faded in the early 1900s: batches varied in strength, results were hard to predict, newer medicines arrived and legal restrictions followed. Cannabis was dropped from the Pharmacopoeia in 1942. Today's licensed products are lab-tested, and a Michigan label shows how much THC and CBD the product contains.
THC, CBD and mixed formulas
Tinctures come in three broad styles:
- THC-dominant: intoxicating, so these are the drops to measure most carefully.
- CBD-dominant: CBD doesn't produce a THC-style high, but it's still an active compound.
- Mixed formulas: THC and CBD together in a stated ratio, such as 1:1. Some add smaller amounts of cannabinoids like CBN or CBG.
Our guide to THC and CBD ratios explains how to read the numbers. CBD in particular affects enzymes the body uses to process many common medications, so check with a doctor or pharmacist first if you take any.
Ways to take it: under the tongue, in drinks or food
The route you choose changes the timing.
Under the tongue (sublingual). Measure your dose, place it under your tongue and hold it there for about a minute before swallowing. Some of the cannabinoids can absorb through the lining of the mouth. Research on how much faster this works is limited, though, and whatever isn't absorbed is swallowed.
Swallowed, in a drink or with food. Drops that go straight down behave like an edible. Effects usually begin 30 to 90 minutes later, peak at two to three hours and can last four to 12 hours, depending on the dose. Alcohol-based drops mix easily into a drink, while oil-based ones blend better into foods like yogurt. Avoid combining a dose with alcohol.
Dosing by the dropper: reading mg per mL
Dose by milligrams, not drops. The label shows the THC and CBD in the bottle, and the bottle states its volume in milliliters. Divide the milligrams by the milliliters to get the strength of each milliliter.
- A bottle holding 200 mg of THC in 20 mL has 10 mg in each milliliter.
- A full 1 mL dropper of that bottle holds 10 mg.
- A quarter dropper, 0.25 mL, holds about 2.5 mg.
Drop counts are unreliable, because drop size changes with the dropper and the liquid. Use the markings on the dropper instead.
Michigan caps adult-use capsules, tinctures and oil drops at 10 mg of THC per dose and 200 mg per package. Products for registered medical patients can go up to 100 mg per dose and 2,000 mg per package. In these limits, THC means delta-9 and delta-8 combined.
If you're new, begin with a few milligrams or less and give it the full two hours. Our THC dosage guide explains how to find a comfortable amount.
Making a tincture at home: decarb, infuse, strain
Make a homemade tincture with a food oil, not alcohol. Michigan's adult-use law doesn't authorize separating cannabis resin at home with butane or any other substance whose flash point is below 100°F. High-proof drinking alcohol is one: ethanol's flash point is about 55°F. For an alcohol-based tincture, buy a tested one from a licensed store.
- Decarb the flower in the oven first so the THCA becomes THC. Our decarboxylation guide has the times and temperatures.
- Combine the decarbed flower in a clean glass jar with enough food oil, such as olive oil, to cover it.
- Warm the sealed jar in a low water bath for a few hours, then let it cool.
- Strain the liquid through cheesecloth into a dark glass dropper bottle.
- Label the bottle with the date, the word cannabis and a note that the strength is untested. Keep it in the fridge and use it within 4 days, the CDC's limit for homemade oils made with herbs, or freeze small portions.
There's no way to measure homemade strength in your kitchen, so a single dropper could be much stronger than you expect. Try a very small amount first, a few drops at most, then wait two hours before adjusting.
Storing tinctures
Light, heat and air slowly wear down cannabinoids and flavor, so keep tinctures tightly capped in a cool, dark cupboard, ideally in dark glass. Alcohol-based tinctures usually last longest, while oil-based drops can go rancid, so give them a sniff before use.
Keep store-bought tinctures in their original child-resistant packaging, up high or locked away if children live with you or visit. Never pour a tincture into a container that looks like a drink, and label homemade bottles clearly.
Choosing a tincture and what to expect
Decide whether you want THC, CBD or a mix, how strong a bottle you need and whether you prefer an alcohol or oil base. Then check the label for the milligrams per package and per serving, the bottle size and the test date.
Availability varies by store. The budtenders at your nearest High Society store can compare labels with you, and medical patients will find practical tips in our patient how-to for medical cannabis products.
Expect a slower, longer experience than smoking, especially when you swallow the drops, and don't drive after a dose. Talk to a clinician before you start if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, take medications or have a health condition. The FDA strongly advises against using CBD, THC or cannabis in any form during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. 21+ only, or 18+ with a medical marijuana card. Please consume responsibly.
