If you’re just starting to experiment with cannabis, it’s important that you understand why you may not be getting high right off the bat. The first time people smoke weed is usually a weird experience. While some might get paranoid, giggly, or instantly stoned, there’s a large group of people who smoke weed and feel nothing.
Despite what we know about cannabis tolerance-basically, the more you’re exposed to cannabis, the less it affects you- this phenomenon of not feeling anything the first few times you smoke affects more people than you might imagine.
Experts have different theories about why this happens. One of the most prominent theories states that in order for people to experience weed properly, they must first learn how to do it correctly. People need to be exposed to the drug repeatedly until their body understands what it’s supposed to feel. Experts call this the “sensitization period,” when THC interacts with the cannabinoids in your system a few times and activates them, producing that high feeling.
It may take a couple of sessions before you smoke and know that you are actually high versus feeling what you think you should be experiencing.
First-timers could also have an issue with the smoking part of things, maybe inhaling cannabis but keeping the smoke in their mouth rather than inhaling into their lungs, which prevents the THC from making its way to your bloodstream.
Another important factor is how you view cannabis. Over the years we’ve all taken an approach to weed that functions in binaries, between the state of being not high and being too high. This might be limiting your understanding of what cannabis has the ability to do and it disregards a variety of cannabis compounds that aren’t exclusively related to THC.
It’s okay for there to be a gray area when consuming cannabis; for you to not know if you’re high or not. There’s no definitive answer when it comes to cannabis and its effect on our bodies, but it’s almost always challenging to successfully accomplish your goal the first time you take a stab at it. Your expectations, the people you’re with, and your biology will have a hand in your first couple of experiences with weed, which is why it’s important to be patient and open-minded.
When first using cannabis, start off slow, surrounded by people you trust. Put your phone on silent. Once you start smoking, pause between puffs for 20 or 30 minutes and monitor your feelings closely, that way you can make sure you get high but not too high. If one consumption method fails, try another one; there’s never been a better time to choose, there’s a wide variety of cannabis products.