Several states in the United States have started to legalize marijuana in some capacity. The marijuana legalization movement has indeed gained tremendous momentum across the country.
Of course, with marijuana being seen in a different light, there are so many who are curious about the effects. People who are considering getting high or have family and friends that do wonder, “What does it feel like to be high?”
The high you get from marijuana is considered to be one of the most unpredictable intoxicating experiences, and despite that, it is widely regarded as one of the softest drugs. You see, if someone is affected more by marijuana than others, it has more to do with the sensitivity of the person than the drug itself.
Here are some of the things you can expect to experience from getting high on marijuana.
Altered Sense of Perception
Most people start to experience certain differences in how their senses of perception work when they are high on marijuana. If you’re thinking about hallucinations, hold your horses. That is something you might experience with high doses of psychedelic drugs.
Marijuana is not a psychedelic drug. You get to see the world in a different light when you are high on marijuana, but nothing goes into the realm of the surreal or anything drastic like that. It is just that you experience seeing colors as being brighter or more vibrant than they usually appear. Marijuana does have a way of enhancing your visual perception in a way that you focus more on the surroundings.
If you look at your surroundings with a positive mood, the marijuana high can suddenly make everything around you so much more beautiful than you remember it as. For someone that is in a bad mood or generally is not feeling too well before getting high, marijuana can make the world seem harsher and grimmer than you know it to be.
Basically, a person that is high on marijuana can have the tendency to project their mood on to the surroundings.
Then, there is the fact that your sense of taste and hearing is also enhanced by marijuana. People who smoke marijuana also happen to appreciate music a lot more than when they are sober.
Getting high on marijuana also affects an individual’s eating habits. The sense of taste is also enhanced by getting high, and that can result in what is known as “the munchies.” A person is able to consume larger quantities of food than they would normally.
The Effects on Mental State and Mood
While the mental state and the mood of an individual can affect their outlook on the world when they get high on weed, there is also the fact that marijuana can have its own effect on the mood of an individual.
The effects that marijuana has on a person’s mood can vary greatly from person to person. There is one thing that you should know: marijuana exaggerates emotions in a vaguely similar manner to alcohol.
Situations which might seem like pretty normal and everyday occurrences might seem ridiculously hilarious to someone that is stoned. At the same time, things can appear to be more intimidating which would otherwise seem completely normal when you’re sober.
Most people report feeling a lot more relaxed when they get high on marijuana. It can help them feel a lot calmer than they usually would, and many people prefer getting high in order to keep themselves cool in otherwise tense situations.
The thing is, its effects can be quite contradictory. Some people can begin to experience higher levels of paranoia when they get high.
Now, when an individual is exceptionally high, you can expect the person to seem confused and slowed down.
The Science Behind It
Of course, with all these interesting effects on the human body and mind, you might be curious about exactly why this happens, right? Let’s take a little look at the science behind it.
So you might have heard about dopamine and how it is related to marijuana. People often talk about how getting high and your brain’s dopamine levels are linked to one another. In fact, you must have seen something on social media that claims ridiculous statements of how you get a hit of dopamine when you get high. The truth is far from it.
To understand why dopamine isn’t the reason why we feel high, we need to take a look at when THC was discovered. THC is the chemical compound, which is found in cannabis that makes us feel all these things. The early 90s saw Dr. Raphael Mechoulam identify THC in cannabis and in the process of synthesizing it, he discovered a neurotransmitter known as anandamide. The neurotransmitter seemed to produce a sensation of happiness and joy. In fact, anandamide is also widely known as the bliss molecule in the scientific community.
It turns out that the bliss molecule is responsible for more than just the high that your body experiences. It has a role to play in one’s memory, motivation, appetite, sensation of pain and even aspects of fertility in human beings.
The thing about anandamide is that even when it is naturally produced in the human body, its effects do not last long. The compound seems to break down and gets used up a lot faster than inhibiting lasting effects.
Understanding how CBD oil can be used effectively has become a recent trend, too, as it is known to have relaxing qualities. Research suggests the use of CBD oil for medicinal purposes is beneficial, and is now available to buy legally in the form of food supplements, with claims to helping relieve certain symptoms.
The THC in cannabis works well with the anandamide to make a combined effort to induce the euphoria that marijuana makes us feel. Learn more about the science behind getting high in this article so you can be completely sure about the stuff before you can try it out for yourself.