Common Questions on Smoking Weed and Recreational Use of Marijuana

1. What to anticipate when you smoke weed for the first time?

You can't know until you try. There could be several reactions. Ideally, you will get super high, and you'll enjoy the experience. You may feel uplifted and euphoric, and you may also burst out laughing. This is what most recreational users love about marijuana. You'll notice that your senses are augmented as colours, sounds and smells become more distinct or at least slightly different. If you felt nervous before smoking, you'll notice quickly that now you feel at ease. Unfortunately, you can also experience high that will not be so entertaining, like entering some sort of panic mood and acting paranoid. In this case, it helps to change the setting. You can play some music, drink some juice or watch funny memes on your smartphone until the 'bad' sensations go away. The different sensations we get from smoking weed owe that everyone is differently affected by it and that different strains of weed generate different effects on the user. Finally, if you are smoking weed for the very first time, there's a chance that nothing special happens. For novice smokers, it may take a second or third round of smoking before actually feeling high.

2. How much weed should you take as a new user?

As a newbie, you don't need much to get high. If you are new to this, always start with small doses and see how it feels. Low doses are ideal for testing how you react to marijuana as each person is different. There's also less "danger" that you experience any negative sensations that might come from smoking weed with small doses. After a certain period, you will definitely be able to find your perfect dose of weed and discover a whole new dimension of feeling good, feeling relaxed, happy and euphoric. Alternatively, you may realize that you plain don't like smoking weed, and that's okay too.

3. What about edibles, vaping or other methods to use weed?

If cannabis is still uncharted territory for you, you may want to stay away from strong edibles that are labelled with big amounts of THC, the primary psychoactive compounds of cannabis. You may also want to avoid vaping, dabbing or bonging. While there's nothing wrong with consuming weed like this, it may be too much for an inexperienced user.  In the beginning, you want to adjust your body to the intake of cannabis. Smoking a joint may be the most convenient method not to shock the system with excess doses with THC.

4. What's the difference between ingesting and inhaling marijuana?

When you take an edible, you catapult THC straight to your stomach, which is then absorbed in the blood. Edibles that are high on THC enable a superior sensation of high for the consumer, which may be too much if you munch out the whole thing. You may find out that you are too high only an hour later, as there's a slight delay when you take edibles. Your stomach first needs to process the snack. And if you drink alcohol in the meantime or smoke a joint just because you thought the munch gave you no high, it's easy to assume you'll wake up with a weed hangover the next day. When you inhale marijuana, such as when you smoke a joint, you are better able to control how much THC enters your body. You can better control when it is enough for you and save what's left for later. 

5. Is smoking weed every day, okay?

There's no easy answer to that. Smoking weed every day may be perfectly okay, however, it depends on how much weed you are taking and at what time of the day. It shouldn't be a matter of concern if you are prone to take a little or moderate amount of cannabis in the evening for several weeks. It's always a good idea to take a break and skip for a day or two. No matter how much you smoke, you'll eventually develop weed tolerance, i.e., you'll see that a small chunk for each evening is not enough and that you need an extra chunk to experience euphoria or whatever you are after. Noticing that you are becoming tolerant to weed is a good signal to know when you should break from daily smoking. 

6. Is mixing alcohol and weed, okay?

It's a common combo that a lot of recreational users of marijuana do. Mixing weed with alcohol is fun and something that all of us want to go for. Crossfading, as the combination of these two substances is known, is totally fine if it's a once in a while thing.  Anyways, it's worth remembering that any alcohol dose increases the blood's THC levels. Knowing that, it's good to be mindful of how much you drink when you smoke. If you drink one glass of beer and then smoke, make it count like two glasses of beer.  Absolutely avoid entering the car when you are under the influence. 

7. How long does it take for weed to wear off from the body?

THC, the principal psychoactive compound of cannabis, remains in the body long after smoking. The more you smoke, the more THC accumulates in the body. It also depends on the person; in some individuals, weed will wear off faster, in some over a more extended period.  Studies suggest that cannabis can stay and be traced in your body from one to 30 days. In the hair, it can be caught for several months after cannabis has entirely left the system, but it's urine testing the most convenient way someone may want to check if you've used cannabis. It may take up to three days for occasional users who smoke up to three times a week for cannabis to wear off from the body. It may take up to a week for moderate users who smoke four times a week, up to 15 days for chronic users who smoke daily, and up to a month or even more for heavy users who smoke weed several times each day.

8. Can I overdose from smoking marijuana?

You can't overdose from weed, but you can still overdo it.  There's a dispute around this question even among those who regularly smoke weed and are well acquainted with all the flower's effects on the human body. Some people assume that pot is equally dangerous as stimulant drugs and opioids, while others say it's totally safe to use and that there's no harm from taking. You can always abuse weed by taking too much and experience side effects and unwanted sensations that can range from exhaustion to dry eyes, and even paranoia and hallucinations in rare cases. Nevertheless, to clear the slate, you can't overdose on cannabis in a way that you can overdose on much heavier substances.  According to health authorities, no reported deaths are resulting from cannabis use alone. On the other hand, substances like cocaine, heroin or opioid painkillers are much much dangerous and are known to have led to tragic deaths from overdosing. 

9. Are there any consequences of long-term recreational use of marijuana?

Recreational use of marijuana is unlikely to cause any long-term harmful effects on the brain or the body as other substances, including alcohol. Studies suggest that frequent use of marijuana may cause some short-term impact on learning and memory, although these abilities are quickly recovered after taking a break from smoking. Sticking to microdoses or taking just enough to make you feel comfortable and relaxed is advisable, however. When to raise the alarm? Studies suggest that morning users of marijuana have reported a lot more health-related issues than non-morning smokers. Similarly, like morning use of alcohol in an alcoholic-dependent person is problematic, morning use of marijuana in a marijuana-dependent person can be interpreted as problematic. Regarding marijuana impact on your lungs, no, you probably don't have lung cancer. The cough is likely just another signal you should take a break from smoking. The cough is likely to go away after you take a break from smoking for a while. Check coughs with the doctor when they doesn't go away.

10. Should I tell parents I am smoking weed?

This is a joke right. You are a grownup person. Perhaps your old man will want some of the magic spice too.