Here is the short version. If you are new to edibles, start with 2.5 to 5 mg of THC, then wait a full 90 to 120 minutes before you even think about taking more. Edibles are not like smoking. The effect builds slowly, peaks later, and lasts longer, so the most common mistake is taking a second piece because the first one "isn't working" yet. It usually is. You just cannot feel it at the door.
Why the long wait? When you eat THC, it travels through your stomach and liver before it reaches you. That detour is why onset can run anywhere from 30 minutes to over two hours, and why a 5 mg gummy can feel different on an empty stomach than after a big meal. Every legal New York edible carries the same state-required warning for this reason: the intoxicating effects of this product may be delayed by 2 or more hours.
How much of an edible should I take the first time?
For most new or returning users, 2.5 to 5 mg of THC is a sensible starting point. Take it, then wait at least 90 to 120 minutes before deciding whether to take more. Many people find one low dose is plenty. Effects may vary. Please consume responsibly.
Start low, go slow (what that actually means)
"Start low, go slow" is the rule every budtender repeats because it works. Low means the smallest measured dose you can take, often half a gummy or a single 2.5 mg piece. Slow means giving it real time before you redose. The whole point is to find your dose without overshooting it, because with edibles you cannot take it back once it is in.
- Eat a little food first. A small snack can make onset more even and gentler.
- Measure, do not guess. Cut the gummy. Read the label for mg per piece.
- Set a timer for 2 hours. Do not redose on vibes.
- Stay home the first time, with nothing you need to drive to.
- Keep edibles sealed, labeled, and far away from kids and pets.
How New York doses its edibles
This part is genuinely useful to know before you shop. Under New York's Office of Cannabis Management rules, every adult-use edible is capped at 10 mg of THC per serving and 100 mg of THC per package. So a standard "piece" tops out at 10 mg, and many products are scored or pre-portioned into 5 mg or 2.5 mg servings. That cap is your friend. It means the math is predictable and the label tells you exactly what you are taking.
How long do edible effects last in New York?
Most people feel edible effects for roughly 4 to 8 hours, with the peak often around the 2 to 4 hour mark. Higher doses tend to last longer. That long tail is exactly why a small starting dose and an unhurried evening matter. Effects may vary.
Onset, peak, and the redose trap
Picture the timeline. You take a 5 mg gummy. For the first hour, maybe nothing. Somewhere between 60 and 120 minutes it arrives. It keeps climbing for an hour or two after that, then eases off over several hours. The redose trap happens in that quiet first hour, when people assume the dose was too small and take another. By the time both kick in, it is more than they wanted. One dose, one timer, one decision.
With edibles, patience is the dose. The wait is not a delay, it is the product working the way it is supposed to.
When you come in to The Highline on Main Street, or browse the menu at /order, every edible lists its mg per serving and per package right on the label and in the listing. Tell a budtender it is your first time and you want to start low. We will point you to the 2.5 and 5 mg options, walk you through the timing, and send you home with a plan, not a guess. Same-day delivery covers Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, and northern Yonkers if you would rather have it brought to you.