"How long will this last?" is one of the most useful questions to ask before you buy — and the honest answer is that it depends heavily on the format. The same evening can look completely different depending on whether you smoke a bit of flower, take a couple puffs from a vape, eat a gummy, or sip a drink. This is a general, experiential guide to the timing people commonly report for each one, so you can match the format to the night you actually have planned. It isn't medical advice, and everyone's body is different.

The short answer: onset and duration by format

Here's the rough shape of it. These are commonly reported ranges from typical use, not guarantees — your own timing can land outside them.

• Smoking flower or a pre-roll — starts within a few minutes; commonly lasts about 1 to 3 hours.
• Vaping (cart or disposable) — also starts within minutes; often feels like it fades a touch sooner than smoked flower, roughly 1 to 3 hours.
• Edibles (gummies, chocolate, etc.) — slow to start, commonly 30 minutes to 2 hours; then a long tail of 4 to 8 hours or more.
• Cannabis drinks — vary the most by product, but many land between vaping and solid edibles: onset often 15 to 45 minutes, lasting a few hours.

Why do smoking and vaping feel fast?

When you inhale, the active compounds reach your bloodstream through your lungs almost right away, so most people feel something within a few minutes. That fast feedback is the practical advantage of inhaling: you can tell fairly quickly how a little is affecting you before deciding whether you want more. The flip side is that it also winds down sooner — which is exactly why it suits a shorter window or a situation where you want more control over the timing.

Vaping a cart or disposable follows the same fast-on curve as smoking. Many people find the effect from a vape tapers off a little sooner than smoked flower, though that varies by person and product. Either way, you're in the same general 1-to-3-hour neighborhood.

Why do edibles take so long to start — and last so long?

Edibles work on a completely different clock because they have to be digested first. Instead of hitting your bloodstream through your lungs, an edible travels through your stomach and liver before you feel much of anything. That detour is why the onset is commonly 30 minutes to 2 hours — and why eating on an empty versus full stomach can shift the timing noticeably. Once it does arrive, it also tends to stay for a long stretch, commonly 4 to 8 hours, sometimes longer.

Where do cannabis drinks fit in?

Beverages are the hardest format to give one number for, because it comes down to how each drink is formulated. Many modern cannabis drinks are made to come on faster than a traditional edible — people often report feeling them in the 15-to-45-minute range — and they tend to run a few hours rather than the full edible-length evening. But that's a general tendency, not a rule: some drinks behave more like a classic edible. Treat a new drink with the same patience you'd give a gummy until you know how that specific product acts for you.

What changes how long it lasts for you?

Two people can take the same thing and have very different nights. The big variables:

• Tolerance — regular consumers often feel a shorter, milder version of what an occasional consumer feels from the same amount.
• How much you take — more doesn't just mean stronger, it often means longer, especially with edibles.
• Food and your stomach — an edible on an empty stomach can hit sooner; a full stomach can slow and stretch it out.
• The format and the product — flower, vape, edible, and drink all run on different curves, and products within a category differ too.
• You — body chemistry, metabolism, and the day you're having all play a part. This is why "varies by person" isn't a cop-out; it's the real answer.

How do I plan a night around the timing?

Once you know the clocks, planning gets easy. A simple way to think about it:

1. Match the format to your window. Short evening or want to feel it wind down before bed? Inhaling gives you a shorter, more controllable arc. Settling in for a long night at home? An edible or drink fits that longer runway.
2. Start low, especially with edibles. You can always have a little more in two hours; you can't undo one you've already taken.
3. Don't stack formats impatiently. Smoking on top of an edible you took 30 minutes ago stacks two curves you can't fully see yet.
4. Set up before it kicks in. Water nearby, snacks, a comfortable spot, plans for how you're getting home if you went out — handle it early.
5. Keep it private. Public consumption isn't permitted in Vermont, so plan to be somewhere private, and never drive after consuming — the effects can linger well past when you think they've faded.

What should I pick at Float On for the night I have?

The right choice is really about how much time you've got and how much control you want over the timing. A few ways to browse the live menu by format:

• Flower or a pre-roll — for a shorter, self-paced session where you want to feel it start and stop within a couple of hours.
• A vape (cart or disposable) — fast-on and portable, for when you want the quick feedback of inhaling without rolling anything.
• Low-dose edibles — gummies, chocolates, or mints for a long evening in, as long as you respect the wait-two-hours rule.
• A cannabis beverage — a social, sippable option that many people find comes on faster than a solid edible.

Not sure which fits your plans? Tell a budtender roughly how long your night is and how experienced you are, and they'll point you to a format that matches — or see how to find us from your neighborhood. Prices on the menu are the final, all-in price, with Vermont's 14% cannabis excise and 6% sales tax already included.