Bioavailability – Amount your body absorbs.

Bioavailability is just the percentage of cannabinoids that make it to your bloodstream. Simple as that. Take 100mg of THC in an edible? Maybe 10mg actually gets absorbed if you're lucky. The other 90mg? Your body just... doesn't use it.

 

This is why dosing gets so confusing. That 10mg edible might only give you 1-2mg in your blood. But 10mg vaped? Could be 3-4mg absorbed. Same starting dose, totally different outcome. And people wonder why edibles are so unpredictable.

 

The really frustrating part? Every method has different rates. Smoking gets you maybe 10-35% absorption. Edibles? Lucky to hit 20% on a good day. Usually closer to 6%. Tinctures under your tongue do better - maybe 15-35%. But nothing gets you 100%. Your body just doesn't work that way with cannabinoids. They're tricky molecules that don't play nice with your digestive system.

Smoking and vaping win for bioavailability. Hands down. You get 10-35% of cannabinoids absorbed, sometimes higher if you've got good lungs and technique. Why? Because it skips your gut completely. Lungs to blood. Done. You feel it in minutes because there's no processing needed.

 

Edibles though? Man, they're inefficient. 4-20% bioavailability and that's being generous. Your stomach acid attacks the cannabinoids. Then your liver converts THC to 11-hydroxy-THC (which actually hits harder, but that's another story). By the time it reaches your blood? Most of it's gone. Plus it takes forever - sometimes two hours before you feel anything.

 

Sublingual drops are the middle ground nobody talks about enough. Hold it under your tongue for 30-60 seconds and you absorb maybe 15-35%. Better than edibles, not quite as good as smoking. But way more discreet. Topicals? Forget about it for getting high - almost zero gets to your bloodstream. Which is perfect if you just want local relief without the head change.

 

The kicker? Even the same method varies person to person. Your friend might absorb twice as much from the same joint. Bodies are weird like that.

Fat is your best friend for absorption. I'm serious. Cannabinoids are fat-soluble - they literally dissolve in fat. Take your edible with some avocado or peanut butter? You might double your absorption. Empty stomach? You're sabotaging yourself.

 

Your metabolism changes everything too. Fast metabolism doesn't always mean better absorption though. Sometimes it means cannabinoids get processed out before they can work. Slow metabolism? Might take forever to feel it, but when it hits, it HITS. Body fat percentage matters too - THC loves to hide in fat cells instead of staying in your blood where you want it.

 

Then there's all the weird stuff. How much water you've had. Whether you ate recently. Hell, even your mood can affect absorption through stress hormones. Women might absorb differently during different parts of their cycle. Age matters - older folks often have slower but sometimes more complete absorption.

 

Product quality is huge. Old, degraded cannabis? Lower bioavailability. Properly cured and stored? Better absorption. Full-spectrum products might absorb better than isolates because of the entourage effect. Or maybe not. Science is still figuring that out.

Without good bioavailability, cannabis just doesn't work. Period. You could eat a thousand milligrams of THC, but if your body only absorbs 5mg? That's all you're getting. Doesn't matter how much you took.

 

For medical patients, this is everything. You can't treat seizures with "maybe it'll work today." You need consistent absorption every single time. Same with chronic pain, PTSD, whatever you're dealing with. Inconsistent bioavailability means inconsistent relief. That's not medicine - that's gambling.

 

Recreational users? You're literally burning money with bad bioavailability. Why pay for 100mg when you're only using 10mg? Just buy less and consume it smarter. Plus, understanding this stuff explains why your experience varies so much. Why that edible destroyed you last week but barely touched you today. It's not tolerance - it's absorption.

 

Here's what really gets me - people blame the product when they don't feel effects. "These edibles suck." "This strain is weak." Maybe. Or maybe you just ate them wrong. Maybe your body absorbed 3% instead of 15% because of how you took them. Bioavailability explains so many "mysteries" about cannabis once you get it.

Alright, want to actually absorb what you're paying for? Start with method selection. Vaping beats edibles for bioavailability every single time. Not even close. If you need maximum absorption, inhaling is your answer. Don't like smoking? Sublingual tinctures are your next best bet.

 

For edibles, never take them on an empty stomach. Ever. Eat something fatty first - or better yet, with them. I know people who take their gummies with a spoonful of peanut butter. Sounds gross? Maybe. But it works. Some folks swear by taking digestive enzymes too, though the science is sketchy on that.

 

The new nano-emulsified products? Game changers. They break cannabinoids into microscopic particles that slip through your gut lining way easier. Faster onset, better absorption. More expensive? Yeah. Worth it? If you're tired of waiting two hours for regular edibles, absolutely.

 

Here's a weird one - exercise after taking edibles might boost absorption. Gets your blood flowing, speeds up digestion. Just don't go too hard or you might feel nauseous. Staying hydrated helps too. Dehydration slows everything down in your gut.

 

For vaping, temperature is everything. Too cool? You're leaving cannabinoids behind. Too hot? You're destroying them and inhaling nasty stuff. Most cannabinoids vaporize best between 350-400°F. Get a vape with temperature control. Seriously.

 

One more thing - stop holding your breath forever when you smoke. Your lungs absorb most cannabinoids in 3-5 seconds. Holding for 20 seconds just deprives your brain of oxygen. That lightheaded feeling? That's not the weed hitting harder. That's you almost passing out.