Hit

A hit is a single inhalation of cannabis smoke or vapor from a delivery device — joint, blunt, pipe, bong, or vaporizer. In cannabis research and clinical trials, "hit" is operationalized as one discrete draw-and-inhale cycle and serves as the atomic unit for self-reported inhalation quantity (e.g., "hits per day"). Puff topography studies show that a single hit varies substantially in puff volume, breath-hold duration, and resulting THC delivery (Azorlosa, Greenwald & Stitzer 1995 J Pharmacol Exp Ther). Contemporary unit-preference survey designs allow participants to report consumption in "hits/puffs/tokes per day" as one of several interchangeable quantity units alongside grams and joints (Borodovsky et al. 2024 Cannabis Cannabinoid Res; Tomko et al. 2018 Drug Alcohol Depend). Citations: Azorlosa JL et al. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1995;272:560-569; Borodovsky JT et al. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2024; Gray KM, Watson NL, Christie DK. Am J Addict. 2009;18:178-179.