What does being high feel like? Vaping, ingesting, or smoking weed affects every person in different ways. How a person reacts to weed depends on various factors such as the potency, dose, strain, and manner of consumption, age, physiology, and gender, how often they use weed and whether they take other drugs or drink alcohol at the same time.
So, What Does Being High Feel Like?
Some people don’t notice anything different after taking weed, while others are extremely sensitive to it. Here are the most common effects of being high on marijuana.
Altered Mental State
Those who are high on marijuana might feel giggly, euphoric, relaxed, amused, and hungry. Situations that seem emotionally neutral may look ridiculous or amusing to them. They usually try to control their emotions, but they may not always succeed. Situations that involve imagined or real conflict can be particularly distressing and lead to intense paranoia.
Changes in Sensory Perceptions
Marijuana can alter a person’s sensory and time perception. They might become more sensitive to sound, taste, smell, light, touch, and color. Familiar objects and faces can seem strange or unfamiliar to them.
Enhanced aesthetic and music appreciation are also common. Their sense of taste also improves. Those who experience the “munchies” consume a larger amount of food than normal. They may also eat odd combinations of food.
Improved Creativity
Marijuana consumption is linked to the production of novel ideas. People who are high on marijuana usually say ideas that may appear muddled, perplexing, strange or unrealistic to others. However, some studies show that higher doses of marijuana can lead to less creativity.
Marijuana can also cause unpleasant effects such as anxiety, high blood pressure, hallucinations, confusion, delusions, vomiting and nausea, racing heartbeat, panic, paranoia, and psychosis. Negative reactions may occur when you consume too much weed or when you are inexperienced. Many people use marijuana due to its relaxation effects. However, some develop lasting anxiety disorders.
Stages
Marijuana contains THC, which enters the bloodstream through the lungs when you vape or smoke weed. THC’s concentration in your blood changes within minutes, so you may experience various levels of being high. Here are the stages of being high on weed.
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Build-Up
During this stage, you may start to feel a creeping sensation of euphoria or excitement. The effects are almost unnoticeable. This occurs 0 to 90 seconds after vaping or smoking marijuana. If you consumed edibles, you would feel these effects after 30 to 60 minutes.
2. Ascent
You may begin to feel lingering happiness or intense anticipation at this point. The effects are already noticeable. The cannabinoids are starting to interact with your memory and mind. If you consumed edibles, you would feel these effects after 45 to 90 minutes. The effects will occur faster when you vape or smoke marijuana. You will feel it after 1 to 4 minutes.
3. Lift-Off
You’re going to feel extremely energized, mentally engaged, and happy at this point. This is the stage when you experience the full effects of marijuana. Colors may seem brighter, time seems to slow down, and music sounds more intense. The effects occur 3 to 6 minutes after you vape or smoke marijuana or 90 to 180 minutes when you consume edibles.
4. Getting Oriented
The amount of THC interacting with the endocannabinoid system has stabilized during this period. This occurs 10 to 20 minutes after vaping or smoking marijuana or 3 to 4 minutes after consuming edibles. Distortions of your time and senses become more subtle. You also regain mental focus. This is the perfect time to focus on repetitive tasks and to brainstorm. You still feel energized, euphoric, and motivated, but you can now overcome the cloudiness to complete tasks.
5. Gentle Descent
Your high is coming to an end, but you won’t feel any nasty physical side effects. You may feel hungry or sleepy. The effects of the peak high still linger. Your taste, visual and hearing perception will be more sensitive. You may feel relaxed at this point. These effects usually occur 25 to 90 minutes after vaping or smoking marijuana or 4 to 6 hours after consuming edibles.
6. Coasting Along
The effects of your high may continue for a few more hours. This is because it takes hours for the body to completely break down THC. You will feel content and relaxed because of the lingering stimulation. It’s like you’re back to square one, but you have gained new perspectives along the way. You will feel these effects 6 to 12 hours after consuming edibles or 1 to 3 hours after vaping or smoking weed.
Marijuana High Duration
What does being high feel like and how long does it last? Various factors can affect the duration of your high. These include the following:
- your biological makeup
- method of consuming marijuana
- marijuana’s chemical makeup
The high from smoking marijuana peaks within the first thirty minutes to one hour after consumption. It can last several hours, but the intensity will slowly weaken after the first hour. The high from eating edibles, on the other hand, takes twenty minutes to three hours to occur. It peaks anywhere from one to three hours and lasts nine hours.
The high from consuming concentrates starts almost immediately. The duration, however, depends on a person’s tolerance. Beginners may feel the effects throughout the day, while those who consume concentrates frequently may come down from their high within one to two hours.
How to Avoid the Unpleasant Effects of Being High
Plan ahead. Start slow, especially if you’re a beginner or sensitive to substances. Beginners can start with 2 or 3 mg of THC or even less. Ask a friend or someone you trust to babysit you. If you get too high by mistake, you should move to a room where you feel safe. Stay calm until the effects wear off.
Conclusion
What does being high feel like? Being high on marijuana can cause feelings of content and relaxation, but it can also have unpleasant effects. What you feel after taking weed depends on various factors, such as your previous experience with it. If you have never used marijuana before, you should proceed carefully. For instance, you can start with small doses and gradually increase the dosage once you get used to it.
