1 – Introduction
Have you ever experienced smoking too much marijuana? We all have. The experience can range from slight discomfort to being on a wildly terrifying trip. It’s very common for beginner users of marijuana to consume too much THC than what they are usually tolerant to. This causes something called a: “bad high” where you are blasted onto the face of Mars.
At WeedHub, we want to encourage the safe usage of Cannabis to prevent abuse, and also for you to have a relaxing time lighting up your joint. Although there has not been a single recorded death from an overdose of Marijuana, smoking weed does temporarily impair judgment, motor skills, and cognitive abilities. Understanding your dosage, set and setting and your mental state before ingesting THC will allow you to have a pleasurable time.
But sometimes, that’s not always the case..
2 – What is a Bad High?
Contrary to popular belief, Marijuana is considered a mild psychedelic. THC, the psychoactive substance that is ingested into the bloodstream when ingested or smoked, has been known to alter your bodily perceptions. A bad high is when you have consumed too much THC and you’re your perceptions are altered to the degree that you lose touch with reality. When consuming too much THC, symptoms may appear such as:
- Hallucinations
- Altered perception sense of time
- Paranoia
- Panic attacks
- An impending sense of doom
- Impaired motor skills
- Psychosis
- Nausea
- Uncontrollable heartbeat
- Existential crisis
- Feeling out of control
Although these feelings that may come up may seem uncomfortable and even terrifying, just know that these will pass. Your body is just under the influence of a substance and as long as you do your best to keep calm and wait it out, the effects of Cannabis will pass. This is easier said than done when having a bad high, but the key is to let go of yourself to the experience.
To avoid having a bad high in the first place, you want to make sure that you are in a good environment that feels safe and comfortable or are with people around just in case things get too crazy. In the case of smoking, don’t take too many puffs, always underestimate how many hits you are going to take or you may just very well overwhelm yourself. When ingesting edibles, it’s recommended to start small, for example, a quarter of a cookie first, and wait for about 20 minutes for the effects to kick in before ingesting more.
The recommended daily dosage is starting with 2.5mg of THC and not exceed 40mg of THC per day. We’d say keep the cap at 100mg per day. Abstain from any strenuous activity such as driving or working for at least 16 hours before ingesting Cannabis.
3 – Oops.. I took too much, now what?
If you’re reading this right now, perhaps it’s too late and you took too much. Keep calm and relax. Know that whatever you are seeing is just simply your mind under the influence of Cannabis. Within a few hours, the effects of the high will eventually wear out.
Some things that can help are watching TV, playing a video game, or listening to music. Alternatively, you can get out of your house. Anything to get your mind away from the fact that you are high.
It can also greatly help to contact a trusted friend for support so they can act as an anchor to ground yourself into this reality. You can also find an object that is familiar to you and anchor yourself to that object.
Having a mantra such as telling yourself: “everything is alright, I’m just high” or “I am okay” and repeating this 10-20 times every few minutes can greatly reduce your anxiety.
Another thing that can help is to expect the things that come with being too high. The effects of too much marijuana can include vivid hallucinations and a distorted sense of time. Having this expectation and affirming to yourself that you are not dying is already half the journey to getting back to normal.
Finally, just know that you are not going crazy and that you will be back to normal within a few hours, and looking up stories where people have come down from a bad high posted on the internet can be reassuring.
4 – “When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself” -Bob Marley
There is a spiritual aspect of marijuana, throughout history Marijuana has been used in conjunction with spiritual practice in cultures such as Hinduism, Islam, Asia, and Africa all around the globe.
There is a saying that Marijuana can be there to teach you a lesson, the herb will reveal parts of yourself that are hidden deep in your subconscious. When you are having a bad high, perhaps there is a lesson that you have to learn from the trip.
Marijuana through the right intention can help you accept who you are more as a person. The traits when you are under the influence of Marijuana include being able to let go of your thoughts, and being more present.
This is why Marijuana has been legalized in many countries around the world because of its healing properties that scientific studies have shown it could provide. From helping with depression, and anxiety to even breakthrough discoveries in cancer remission through the use of Marijuana.
5 – How to Prevent Marijuana Overuse
Marijuana like all drugs has a potential for abuse. We at WeedHub promote the safe-usage of cannabis and so know that you can always take a break from the herb and come back when you feel like it.
Many bad Marijuana trips usually occur as a result of overuse or abuse. But remember, there is no such thing as a bad trip. All bad experiences have good experiences inherent in them which are about showing the fragileness of our human psyche and what it means to be a human.
At high doses, Weed has been shown to cause paranoia, according to Joe Rogan, owner of one of the world’s most-viewed podcasts. To avoid this kind of experience, that’s why having a good environment around you, and the right dosage is crucial in making sure you have a good time under the influence of Cannabis.
We hope this helps and safe smoking!
Did you like this article? Don’t forget to check out our carousel of products.
