The truth of the matter is it all depends on our personalities, our environment, and any pre-existing conditions.
Let’s be honest, not everyone enjoys the stoned-feeling cannabis has to offer. If you were to go around and ask people what they thought of their cannabis experience, you’re bound to find one person or another claiming it made them feel horrible. As though they were having a “bad trip.”
Why does this happen to some while others experience a sense of relaxation?
Within this article, we look into how cannabis affects the brain, how each of us reacts to this differently, and offer advice on how you can take control of your THC experience.
It’s important to note there’s only so much research surrounding the topic. Unfortunately, due to cannabis’s long prohibition, scientists haven’t had the opportunity to fully answer and understand questions as such.
THC Attaching Itself to Brain Receptors
As is understood, when someone intakes cannabis, the drug’s main chemical compound, tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), attaches itself to a variety of receptors in the brain. One of these receptors is the amygdala¹. This is a part of the brain that’s highly responsible for a variety of emotional responses. One of the biggest being fear.
Through our amygdala’s, our brain naturally creates endocannabinoids or, as some consider it, cannabis naturally within our system. When marijuana is intaken, the amygdala’s response is naturally overwhelmed as THC produces more cannabinoids than endocannabinoids. In turn, some people feel great amounts of relief while others feel overwhelming sensations of paranoia.
This gives us some explanation as to why people feel like they’re on a “bad trip”. Bad psychedelic trips are often associated with unpleasant feelings that are difficult to shake off. Since the amygdala is responsible for both triggering and relieving anxiety, it comes as no surprise that those who are paranoid can’t alleviate the problem.
So, if this is the case, how can we be sure we experience an anxiety-relieving high rather than a paranoia-inducing?
The truth of the matter is it all depends on our personalities, our environment, and any pre-existing conditions.
YOU Play a Role in Your High
As mentioned, we all naturally produce endocannabinoids. However, some of us with pre-existing conditions happen to naturally produce less of it. For example, a person who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) faces much more stress and trauma than most people. With that, they also naturally produce fewer endocannabinoids². Cannabis holds the ability to stimulate missing cannabinoids and, in turn, offer the person with a pre-existing condition the relief they have trouble obtaining.
Then there’s the opposite end of the spectrum. What about someone who has a history of anxiety and/or panic attacks. Their brains are already producing a ton of endocannabinoids. Can cannabis really help them?
Well, this in itself depends on a number of factors. You’ll hear stories of people who have suffered from anxiety find that marijuana is the miracle drug they’ve been waiting for. Then you’ll hear of the same sufferers claiming cannabis to only worsen their paranoia.
As the subtitle states, YOU play a strong role in how your THC experience plays out. Cannabis is a psychedelic chemical and, as with other psychedelic drugs such as LSD, it tends to heighten or alter your mood and perception³. With that in mind, you can expect yourself to feel a heightened sense of the life experience you’re already encountering.
Be aware of your temperance state and vulnerability in the moments before puffing on a joint. For those are two vital factors in how you will react to THC.
Another important factor is your environment. If you’re in a place you feel uncomfortable, your high is going to reflect that place. However, if you’re in a place where you do feel comfortable, then you have a much better chance of enjoying the high.
The same can be said in terms of who you’re surrounded by. For new time smokers, it’s in your best interest to be around people you trust.
Combining your environment with your personality plays a major role in how you will react to THC. Yet, there are also things you can do in order to better your chances of experiencing a pleasant high.
Taking Influence Over Your Cannabis Experience
To begin, it’s important to mention that your environment also includes the people you’re around. If you’re surrounded by those you’ve grown close and trust, you’re bound to feel comfortable. Even if you don’t feel comfortable, you can at least feel secure in the sense that these people will take care of you.
Furthermore, you may also find your headspace to be more agreeable when you’re with people rather than when you’re alone. This ultimately depends on your personality but is something you’ll want to consider.
Assuming you prefer to be with friends, there’s a good chance a blunt or two will be passed around in order to get the group going. It’s almost instinctual to just puff on it every time it passes by. However, it may be in your best interest to, instead, take one or two hits rather than continuously puffing every time it comes by.
A lower amount of THC might just be your answer to experiencing a “good trip” as less of the chemical will attach itself to your amygdala.
With that in mind, it’s probably in your best interest to stay away from dabs and edibles. For those unaware, a dab (or oil) is concentrated THC with more than three-times the effect of just the flower. And since eating an edible reacts to your body differently than smoking THC in through your lungs, the high tends to lasts longer and, depending on the amount you intake, can be more intense.
Furthermore, it might valuable to check out the strains you purchase. There are certain ones which have been proven better for paranoia in comparison to others. The only problem is, you need to be in a legal location in order to truly know just what you’re purchasing.
A word of warning, drug dealers will claim they hold a certain strain (especially if it’s a popular name, such as Granddaddy Purp or Blue Dream) when in actuality they don’t know a thing about the weed they’re holding. It’s a business pitch you’ll run into more often than not in the illicit market.
Is Cannabis Really Right For You?
Taking into consideration everything mentioned above, if you continue to feel paranoia due to cannabis, you have to ask yourself if it’s really right for you? Understandably, not everyone is going to have a positive reaction to marijuana and, therefore, it’s not the answer to everyone’s problems.
Just like any other drug, THC works differently within us all. While some will proclaim it’s the answer to relieving anxiety, others are well aware it can influence a “bad trip”.
If you’re new to cannabis and aren’t sure how you’ll react, we understand your caution in doing research. However, the only true way to find out if cannabis is right for you is by giving it a try.
References
¹US National Library of Medicine:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2657360/
²US National Library of Medicine:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2657360/
³National Institute of Drug Abuse:
By Paul James
Image: Pixels
