Quick pick
A vape cartridge wins for microdosing. One draw delivers a dose you can repeat. A joint or a pipe does not. Combustion destroys part of the THC. Burn rate changes with each puff. Pick the vape when the number matters. Pick flower when cost per milligram matters more than precision.
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Dose control
Microdosing means 1 mg to 2.5 mg THC per session. That range is narrow. A 0.5 g joint of 20% flower holds about 100 mg THC. Cutting it into 40 equal doses is not practical. A 1 g cartridge at 80% THC holds about 800 mg. A 3 second draw at low voltage releases about 1 mg to 2 mg. Devices with preset dose buttons release a fixed volume per press. Those buttons come closest to a measured dose at retail.
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Onset and duration
Inhaled THC reaches the blood in seconds. Peak effects arrive in 5 to 10 minutes. Effects fade in 1 to 3 hours. Flower and vape differ little here. The gap is temperature. A vape runs at 300 F to 400 F. A burning joint runs at 1,600 F or higher. Higher heat creates more tar and more carbon monoxide.
Cost per milligram
Prices vary by state and tax rate. A national range from 2024:
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- Flower, 20% THC, $10 per gram: about $0.05 per mg.
- Flower, 25% THC, $12 per gram: about $0.048 per mg.
- Vape cartridge, 80% THC, $35 per gram: about $0.044 per mg.
- Vape cartridge, 80% THC, $50 per gram: about $0.063 per mg.
Pre-roll minis cost more per milligram than bulk flower. Disposables cost more per milligram than a cartridge on a reusable battery.
Inhalation risk
The CDC traced an outbreak of lung injury in 2019 to vitamin E acetate in THC vape products. The agency counted 2,807 hospitalizations and 68 deaths. Black market carts were the main source. Regulated dispensary carts test for the additive. Combustion carries its own risk. Smoke contains tar, carbon monoxide, and carcinogens that vapor does not.
Convenience
Smell: flower smells. Vapor smells less and clears in minutes. Portability: a 0.5 g pen fits in a pocket. A pipe, a grinder, and a jar do not. Session length: one to three draws. Battery: pens need a charge. Flower needs a lighter. Shelf life: dried flower loses potency in 6 to 12 months. A sealed cartridge holds longer in a cool drawer.
Options
If you pick vape
- Low voltage battery, 2.0 V to 2.8 V. High heat burns terpenes and hits harder than a microdose needs.
- 1:1 CBD to THC cartridge. CBD tempers the THC effect for new users.
- Cartridge labeled with total THC in mg, not just percent. Percent alone does not give a dose.
- Reusable battery over disposables. Lower cost per milligram and less waste.
If you pick flower
- Dry herb vaporizer. It removes combustion and keeps flower as the input.
- One-hitter or small pipe. Load 0.03 g to 0.05 g per session.
- Low THC cultivars. Hemp flower at 0.3% THC gives about 1.5 mg per 0.5 g. Type III flower at 5% gives about 1.5 mg in a 0.03 g bowl.
Convenience decides for most buyers. A pen needs no grinder, no lighter, and no cleanup. The tradeoff is battery dependence and a narrower choice of cultivars. For a dose under 2.5 mg, the vape is the simpler tool. For a user who consumes every day and does not mind smoke, flower still holds the lower cost per milligram.