Dear Cheri, I took your edibles dosing class and I loved how you teach us to estimate the THC percentages in cannabis.  That really helped me figure the dosing when I make edibles.  I used to be all over the map with dosing, but now I am always right on the money.  My question is, can you please add a new lesson on how to estimate CBD percentages?  Thank you.

You asked if I would add a new lesson to my dosing class about how to estimate CBD percentages.  I soooooo wish I could, but sadly it is not possible.  The only way to realistically determine CBD percentages is with a lab test.  

Now once you know what that percentage is, you can use my dosing calculators to figure out the per serving CBD dose of your edibles.  But in order to do that, you have to know the percentage of CBD in your starting plant material.

Why Is It Impossible to Accurately Estimate CBD Percentage in Cannabis?

It’s impossible to estimate CBD percentages because you do not feel the effects of CBD in the same way you feel the effect of THC.  In fact, when it comes to estimating THC percentages, I often recommend to edibles makers to smoke or vape a little of their cannabis cooking material first, as this can give you an instant ballpark idea of the THC percentage, especially with practice and experience.  

But CBD’s effects are far more subtle and are not instantly felt the way you feel THC.

Also CBD percentages in most average strains of cannabis are extremely low.  That’s because generations of breeders have focused solely on THC content, although this is slowly starting to change.  But even in high CBD strains, you simply do not physically feel CBDs effect like you do THC.

For these reasons, it’s just not possible to get a realistic read on CBD percentages without a lab test.