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Format guide

Tinctures & Oral Sprays

Tinctures are cannabis extracts in a carrier oil (MCT, olive) or alcohol base, taken by placing drops under the tongue. Sub-lingual absorption bypasses the digestive tract and delivers cannabinoids into the bloodstream faster than an edible but slower than inhalation. For patients who want precise milligram control without inhaling, tinctures are the gold standard.

Onset

15–45 minutes

Duration

4–6 hours

Bioavailability

15–35% sub-lingual (drops swallowed act like an edible)

Best for

  • Precise clinical dosing by milligrams
  • Patients who can't inhale (respiratory conditions, immunocompromised)
  • Pediatric epilepsy dosing under neurologist supervision
  • Hospice and palliative care (works even when swallowing is difficult)
  • Baseline daily coverage of chronic conditions
Cautions

Watch-outs

  • Hold drops under the tongue for at least 60 seconds before swallowing — bioavailability drops sharply if you swallow immediately
  • Alcohol-based tinctures can burn under the tongue; oil-based is more tolerable for most patients
  • Tinctures are absorbed more slowly on a full stomach if any is swallowed
Kentucky law

Kentucky-compliant tinctures show milligrams per bottle and milligrams per milliliter on the label. Every bottle is COA-verified for cannabinoid content and contaminant panels.

Deep dive
Tinctures are the format most clinical research has used to study medical cannabis — because the dosing is repeatable and measurable in a way flower and edibles aren't. When a study says 'patients received 10 mg CBD daily,' the delivery is almost always a tincture. A 30 mL bottle with 600 mg total THC works out to 20 mg per mL. Most droppers are 1 mL. So one full dropper = 20 mg, half dropper = 10 mg, quarter dropper = 5 mg. Every Kentucky tincture bottle has to publish this math clearly on the label. Hold under the tongue for at least 60 seconds — ideally 90. Sub-lingual absorption happens through the tissue under your tongue; swallowing immediately shunts everything to the stomach and turns your tincture into a slow-onset edible. Tinctures pair especially well with a routine. Morning + evening dosing at consistent times gives you steady blood-level coverage for chronic conditions in a way as-needed inhalation can't match.
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Educational information only. Kentucky's medical cannabis program requires registration under KRS Chapter 218B and a practitioner's written certification. Always start at the lowest effective dose.