Formats

How you take cannabis changes the experience more than almost anything else. Onset and duration figures below come from Health Canada's public guidance and from published clinical dosing literature.

Onset and duration by cannabis format
Format	Onset	Duration
Flower	1–10 min	2–4 h
Pre-roll	1–10 min	2–4 h
Vape cartridge	1–10 min	2–4 h
Edible	30–120 min	6–8 h
Tincture	15–90 min	4–8 h
Capsule	30–120 min	6–8 h
Topical	15–60 min	2–6 h
Concentrate	1–10 min	2–4 h
Beverage	15–90 min	4–6 h

Flower

Dried cannabis, smoked or dry-herb vaporised. Fast onset makes it the easiest format to titrate.

Onset 1–10 min · lasts 2–4 h

Pre-roll

Pre-rolled flower. Same pharmacology as flower, with convenience and less control.

Onset 1–10 min · lasts 2–4 h

Vape cartridge

Concentrated cannabis oil in a battery-powered cartridge. Discreet, potent, and easy to over-do.

Onset 1–10 min · lasts 2–4 h

Edible

Eaten or swallowed. Slow onset and long duration — and disproportionately responsible for cannabis-related emergency visits.

Onset 30–120 min · lasts 6–8 h

Tincture

Liquid extract dosed by dropper. The most precise way to titrate an oral dose in small increments.

Onset 15–90 min · lasts 4–8 h

Capsule

Swallowed softgel or capsule. Behaves like an edible with pharmacy-style consistency.

Onset 30–120 min · lasts 6–8 h

Topical

Creams, balms, and patches applied to skin. Non-transdermal topicals do not produce intoxication.

Onset 15–60 min · lasts 2–6 h

Concentrate

Wax, shatter, rosin, hash and similar. Very high potency. Health Canada advises new users avoid these entirely.

Onset 1–10 min · lasts 2–4 h

Beverage

Cannabis-infused drinks. Nanoemulsified products often act faster than solid edibles, but this varies by product.

Onset 15–90 min · lasts 4–6 h