The First Time You Smoke Marijuana: What It Feels Like and What to Do About It
Smoking marijuana has a diverse influence on specific people, and it should not be underestimated because it modifies your perceptions. When people claim they're “high,” it's hard to know what they're talking about if you haven't tried it yourself. Also, take note that you don't always get the same intensity of being high the very first moment you smoke pot or even after the next few tries. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the two primary chemical elements present in the cannabis plant, and it reaches your circulation through your airways to give you that high feeling. If you want help learning more about this visit a nearby dispensary and speak to a professional budtender.
Factors Why First-Time Reactions to Marijuana Vary
The method of cannabis consumption, type of cannabis strain, and physical status of a person will affect how long and potent its effects are. Thus, the effects on first-time users may still vary. For a clearer understanding, here's the explanation for the key factors affecting the onset of first-time reactions among first-time users of the drug.
- Method of Consumption
Marijuana can be consumed as edibles, vaped, or inhaled like a tobacco cigarette. Cannabis smoking techniques haven't changed much since the 1800s, and they've been around for centuries. Rolled joints and spliffs, as well as the use of pipes and bongs, are only some of the most popular examples of techniques. Inhaled cannabis smoke enters your mouth, then moves into your lungs after you take a joint. THC and other compounds found in marijuana smoke reach your circulatory system through the air sacs in your lungs, eventually going to your brain and afterward the other systems of your body. The process takes only a few seconds or a minute, and the marijuana user will most likely experience the effects of cannabis smoke within a few minutes. The psychedelic effects of consumable cannabis products or edibles, on the other hand, usually take half an hour or two to kick in. However, the difference is that the effects of taking edibles persist much longer, peaking between 2 and 4 hours after administration.
- Cannabis Strain Taken
Strains are the various varieties of the actual marijuana plant, such as Indica, Sativa, or a combination of the two called Hybrid. Sativas are known for making a person feel up, constantly pacing and feeling energetic instead of curling up into one's couch. A cannabis sativa's leaves are thin and widely spaced. They have a greater THC content and a lower CBD content. In comparison to indica, sativa stimulates more imagination. Indicas are known for their relaxing properties, as they have a greater CBD content and lower THC content. They can aid with pain alleviation, sleeplessness, and anxiety reduction. It is also proven to give you a substantial, soothing “high.”
- Age and Current Health Condition
According to studies, older persons use medicinal marijuana for the same ailments as pediatrics — for treating pain, sleeplessness, and anxiety disorders. Marijuana is known to raise blood pressure levels and heart rate, but it doesn't appear to be chronic or fatal in moderate contents. If any, information and evidence relating to marijuana intake result in independent cases of cardiac arrests. However, older people are more likely to experience or be diagnosed with chronic health issues and be on several prescription meds taken simultaneously. Marijuana contains over 600 compounds, and the two major active elements, THC and CBD, have the potential to increase or decrease the heart rate or blood pressure levels of other drugs a person is currently taking.
Dealing with the First-Time Reactions
Being a first-time marijuana user can be exciting for most people. However, the effects after the first use may cause panic among users. Thus, we have listed some of the best practices to deal with your reactions to marijuana as a first-time user.
- Observe how long and how intense the effects kick in.
You can feel high during the first two to ten hours since you took the drug. During this period, your body may feel a lot different from the time you are not intoxicated. Observe how intense the drug seeps into your system and make this a basis for your future consumption. Doing this can help you avoid overdosing, especially during your first-time marijuana consumption.
- Start with small amounts or doses of marijuana.
The dosage is too much if it causes extreme discomfort or worry. What marijuana strain to take and how much to take should be specified by your marijuana specialist. The recommendation and examination of your specialist are usually done in several stages, not just to get you accustomed to the new sensations but also to allow your brain and body system to adapt and react more safely.
- Know the cannabis flavors and strains that work best with you.
Consuming the cannabis flower is the freshest, most fundamental form of cannabis consumption as it hasn't been modified or transformed into oils, dabs, edibles, or other goods, and it lets you feel, experience, and taste the raw strain's flavor. Producers use a variety of techniques, which might influence the taste of the bloom. When smoking marijuana flowers, you may also experience all of the different breeds or strains and the many flavors and sensations that each has to offer. Enjoyment and satisfaction are some of the most important goals of using weed, so we suggest you make the best experience out of it.
- Consider taking smaller doses of edibles during the first takes.
For those people who don't want to dig into the complexities of the cannabis plant or struggle with the negative health consequences of smoking, taking edibles may be a great starting point. In general, edibles manufactured with live cannabis resin have more unusual yet greater effects. The purpose of edibles is to be metabolized in the liver rather than the bloodstream, resulting in longer-lasting effects of being high with the potential for hallucinogenic effects in greater quantities. Edibles also take a longer time to kick in than when inhaled, so give it at least an hour or two before trying again.
- Let go of other people's cannabis consumption this-and-that and learn your own preference.
Nothing beats shooting up a joint, preparing a bowl, and sharing it around a group of companions, or lounging on the sofa and smoking pipes while playing a video game or watching a film. Smoking marijuana techniques, on the other hand, adapt themselves to routines, whereas foods, extracts, and topical oils and creams do not. The sessions might be a great way to meet and socialize with other stoners. Some may advise you this, while others may advise you that. But, at the end of the day, it's your choice that counts. So, figure out what works best for you — consuming method, time and place, flavors, varieties, and even paraphernalia — so you may have the most authentic, distinctive, and real marijuana experience possible. Also, make sure you're in a relaxing environment with people you trust. Other people's negative drug responses can be induced by events from outside their bodies. Hence, these may or may not occur with you too.
Insights and Experiences of First-Time Marijuana Users
People shared some insights during their first-time use of the drug.
One of the first-time weed users shared that he had a bowl of marijuana and took it with himself. By the end of it, he felt like he had just got out of bed, feeling extremely energized. He even plugged in all his chargers and suddenly wore his pajamas. A few hours later, he found his phone in his sweater pocket, and nothing was plugged in his charger under his bed. He also said that the music was “fire,” and he heard different sounds from what he did before.
Another shared that she was in her sophomore high school year and ate cannabis edibles. After about an hour, she felt the “high” and even wailed for not having a pizza. When she got home, she went to bed, woke up the next morning, and still felt high. She went to school still feeling the drug in her system. She went to her history teacher and suddenly told her that no one wanted to accomplish their homework. Because of this, she got into trouble and came down only when it was already her seventh class for the day.
Lastly, a 21-year old man shared that he had a pen with his three friends. After using it, he didn't experience unusual behavior changes, but he felt that his eyes were red and squinted. He felt cool about the experience, and now he's learned to smoke regularly and tolerate the effects of the drug.