People are microdosing with cannabis-laced drinks to relieve anxiety and lessen pain. Experts say it's safe, but don't overdo it.

• Ellen DeGeneres drank three THC-containing drinks because she didn't feel the first one.
• The drinks contained microdoses of cannabis, which could explain the delayed side effects.
• More people microdose cannabis to relieve pain, get better sleep, and lessen anxiety.

On Tuesday, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres revealed that she consumed three "weed drinks" before having to unexpectedly drive her wife to the hospital.

During her appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Degeneres said comedian Chelsea Handler gifted her the beverages, which came from a brand called Cann. Each drink contained 2 mg of THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis that makes users high, and 4 mg of CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid.

"I drank one and I didn't feel anything. So, I drank three," DeGeneres told Kimmel, adding that she followed the drinks with two melatonin sleep pills.

It's likely DeGeneres didn't feel much, at least initially, because the drinks she consumed contained microdoses of THC.

Microdosing, or consuming a minuscule amount of a drug to get its therapeutic effects without feeling high, is a growing trend in the cannabis space. According to Leafly, 5 mg or less of THC is considered a cannabis microdose.

Enter drinks from brands like Cann, Stillwater, and Monk Provisions, which contain small amounts of THC and CBD.

Microdosing cannabis could alleviate pain, insomnia, and anxiety

People who microdose cannabis, either in beverage or food form, have reported decreased anxiety, pain, and PTSD symptoms like insomnia and nightmares, Leafly previously reported.

It's especially helpful for folks who have had bad experiences with using too much cannabis.

"When you raise the dose sometimes you get diminished benefits, and sometimes you get the opposite of what you are looking for," Dustin Sulak, a physician in Maine who often treats patients with cannabis microdoses, told Leafly.

If a person notices a spike in their anxiety after consuming a normal or high dose of weed, for instance, a microdose of cannabis could be the answer for reducing anxiety.

Studies on cannabis microdosing are few, but existing research suggests therapeutic benefits such as less pain and better sleep in those with chronic pain or mental health diagnoses.