What Does It Mean to Be ‘Weed Tolerant’? How to Reset, Reduce, or Ride It Out

If you’ve been smoking regularly and suddenly need twice as much to feel the same effects, we’re sorry to say, but you’ve developed a weed tolerance.

The good news? Cannabis tolerance develops predictably, and there are many ways to reset, reduce, or work around it. It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with sky-high tolerance from daily concentrate use or just noticing your flower isn’t hitting the same.

Understanding how tolerance works—and what to do about it—will save you money and bring you back to those effects you’ve been craving.

Having a tolerance to cannabis means that the effects of cannabis reduce with repeated use. In cases where a tolerance is built to cannabis, higher doses or consuming more cannabis become necessary to achieve the desired effects.

On a scientific level, cannabis tolerance happens in your body’s endocannabinoid system. This is what’s adapting to regular cannabis use. As THC binds to CB1 receptors in your brain repeatedly, these cannabinoid receptors become less sensitive to THC.

It’s called regionally selective downregulation. Essentially, your brain reduces the number of available receptors to protect itself from being overly stimulated by cannabinoids.

This is exactly why chronic users need higher doses of marijuana to get the same psychoactive effects they once had with smaller amounts. It’s pretty common for heavy cannabis users to find themselves running through their stash a lot faster without feeling the benefits they once did.

It’s a frustrating cycle that leads to using more cannabis and spending a lot more for it.

The good part? While tolerance to alcohol and other drugs can be incredibly dangerous, cannabinoid tolerance doesn’t usually come with severe adverse health effects. Still, chronic cannabis use can lead to dependence, where it becomes integrated into your daily routine for emotional regulation, sleep, or managing chronic pain.

There are a few telltale signs pointing towards a tolerance that’s “too high.” Those include:

• Needing significantly larger doses to feel the desired effects
• Finding that the same amount of cannabis produces weaker results
• Noticing that breaks between sessions feel longer and more uncomfortable

And what about the physical indicators?

• Needing to smoke more frequently throughout the day
• Experiencing mild withdrawal symptoms like irritability or sleep disruption
• Feeling like it no longer provides therapeutic benefits for things like anxiety, nausea, or chronic pain that originally drew you towards regular use

Check out our quick tolerance quiz at the end of this guide to see whether you could benefit from a cannabis tolerance break.

Lowering your tolerance to weed doesn’t always mean complete abstinence. There are a few effective ways to regain your sensitivity to cannabinoids:

Take smaller hits (microdosing)

Try consuming the smallest effective dose possible. That’s usually 1-3mg of THC, which helps maintain therapeutic benefits but gives your endocannabinoid system space and time to recover. Start with one small hit and wait 15-20 minutes before trying more. You’d be surprised how easy it is to break the habit of automatic, frequent dosing.

Change your consumption method

Different consumption methods affect your tolerance differently. If you’re mainly smoking, try switching to edibles, vaping, or tinctures. The cannabinoids travel through different pathways to interact with your endocannabinoid system in a way that feels fresh.

Delay your first hit of the day

Try not to wake and bake. Even delaying your cannabis consumption by 1-2 hours can be a huge step forward in lowering your tolerance over time. Cannabis addiction might feel like you need a hit first thing in the morning, but a slight delay often helps chronic cannabis users realize they don’t need it as early or as often as they thought.

A complete tolerance break (T-break) is your best bet for completely resetting your weed tolerance. Why? It lets cannabinoid receptors return to that baseline sensitivity you experienced when you first felt weed.

Completely abstaining from marijuana use is the fastest and most effective way to do it. Although it can be quite tricky. You’ll need to navigate potential withdrawal symptoms and temporary changes to routines that used to rely on using cannabis for emotional regulation or medical conditions.

During a tolerance break, CB1 receptors gradually return to normal levels as your brain restores its natural endocannabinoid balance. The sweet spot is 2-4 weeks without weed. Even a few days is a great start.

But how long does it take to reset weed tolerance? You’ll notice a huge tolerance reduction after 7-14 days, with a nearly complete reset after 21-30 days.

Withdrawal symptoms may include:

• Sleep disruption
• Appetite changes
• Irritability
• Anxiety

These symptoms usually peak within the first 3-7 days and gradually subside. During this time, it’s more important than ever to find support systems, other activities, and maybe even professional guidance from a healthcare provider if you need it. That’s especially needed for those using cannabis to treat medical conditions.

It’s worth noting that the development of tolerance heavily depends on usage frequency and potency. So that means high-THC users might need longer periods to recover.

Some cannabis users develop tolerance and choose to do nothing about it. They are simply accepting that they’ll need more cannabis to achieve their desired effects. And honestly, it’s a valid choice that works for some people’s lifestyles and medical needs. Here are your options.

Different cannabis strains contain different levels of THC, CBD, other cannabinoids, and terpenes that might interact with receptors in slightly different ways. Don’t hesitate to switch up your strains in order to feel different effects.

There’s one form of cannabis use that generates a high tolerance like no other: concentrates.

Whether you’re dabbing it up or hitting a live resin cartridge, this method exposes you to the highest concentration of cannabinoids possible from the cannabis plant.

These products often contain 70-90% THC compared to flower’s typical 15-25%, meaning concentrate users develop tolerance much faster than those smoking flower. In fact, concentrates create tolerance levels so high that many users find alternative cannabis products, like flower, to be ineffective.

If you’re dabbing daily, consider checking out our guide on what could happen if you’re dabbing daily to understand the full scope of how this consumption method affects tolerance and your overall experience.

Familiar with terpenes? They’re the aromatic compounds that give cannabis its smell. But they can also influence psychoactive effects through what’s called the “entourage effect.”

Even if your tolerance to THC is pretty high, experimenting with different terpene profiles might provide subtle differences that let you appreciate different aspects of the plant you hadn’t before.

Strains high in myrcene often produce sedating effects, while the high limonene presence in Sativa strains feels more uplifting. Pinene may enhance focus, and linalool promotes relaxation.

Start paying attention to lab-tested cannabis terpene profiles and intentionally seek out strains with different dominant terpenes. It can add a dash of variety even when tolerance is sky high.

Your environment and mindset still affect how cannabis feels, no matter how high your tolerance is. A high that feels routine at home is often where you start to feel dull.

That’s exactly why switching up your routine is so important.

Try taking your sessions outdoors in nature, with friends, or while listening to music. Many users adore creating a mini ritual before smoking weed to get them in the mindset of appreciating the effects.

Answer these five questions honestly to see if you might benefit from reducing or resetting your weed tolerance:

1. Do you need significantly more cannabis than you used to for the same effects? (Yes/No)
2. Has your cannabis consumption increased over the past 3-6 months without intentionally trying to use more? (Yes/No)
3. Do you feel irritable, anxious, or have trouble sleeping when you can’t use cannabis for 24+ hours? (Yes/No)
4. Are you spending more money on cannabis than you’re comfortable with due to needing larger amounts? (Yes/No)
5. Do you feel like cannabis is no longer providing the therapeutic benefits or enjoyment it once did? (Yes/No)

Results: If you answered “yes” to 3 or more questions, you will most definitely benefit from a tolerance break or trying one of our tolerance reduction strategies above. Two “yes” answers? Start monitoring your usage patterns. But 3-5 “yes” answers mean your tolerance could definitely benefit from a reset.

Remember, there’s no shame in developing tolerance—it happens to all of us. Whether you choose to reset, reduce, or ride it out is totally up to you.