Factors That Affect Your Cannabis High

There are a number of factors that affect your cannabis high, and knowing them is crucial to an enjoyable experience. 

Often times, people who see cannabis in a negative light don’t quite understand it. Perhaps they have had a negative experience, or encountered others who have had a negative experience. In reality, though, there are many factors that affect your cannabis high, for better or worse. 

Here are the top factors that affect your cannabis high:

Setting

Where you are when you consume cannabis, how you are feeling at the time, your current state of mind, and so on, all have an effect on your cannabis high. If you are living in unstable conditions, feel depressed, or have any other factor affecting your mood in a negative or positive manner, a cannabis experience high can sometimes amplify these things. 

Potency

The potency of your cannabis will directly influence the intensity of your experience. It also affects how much you need to consume in order to reach a particular level. Strains which are above 20% THC, for example, will produce a desirable high much more easily than strains that aren’t as potent. 

Type of Strain

Typically, people who consume cannabis (either medically or recreationally) will consume indica or sativa strains. There are also many different popular hybrid strains that combine the qualities of sativa and indica. 

Indica (or ‘in-da-couch’) is great for a relaxing night in where you don’t need to be social and active. Sativa, on the other hand, is best for times where you want to be a little more active and on-the-go. 

Quantity Consumed

Just like other psychoactive substances, cannabis can become a lot more intense when you consume a lot of it. Regardless of the potency or form of consumption, consuming a lot of cannabis can intensify your cannabis experience.

Form of Consumption

There are many different ways to consume cannabis. Vaping cannabis, for example, can feel a lot different than smoking flower. Not to mention edibles and concentrate, which can produce far more intense effects than plain old flower. Edibles tend to creep on you, whereas inhalation is more instant. 

There are tons of delivery methods for cannabis. Joints and blunts, bongs and pipes, dabs, vapes, and edibles are just the most common.

Your Level of Experience (Tolerance)

One of the factors that affect your cannabis high that sometimes falls under the radar is your level of experience with cannabis. A first-time user, for example, will generally have a drastically different experience than a seasoned stoner. 

This is part of the reason why we recommend new cannabis users to start slow. Wait until you know what to expect before you use a heavier dose. You can always do more, but you can never go back in time and undo an excess dose.

With more experience, your cannabis high will gradually start to be more predictable. 

Your Expectations

Expectations and preconceived notions can have an effect on your cannabis experience. People who are lead to believe they are consuming cannabis when they are actually consuming a placebo, for example, will often start to naturally emulate a cannabis high. 

Another common instance where expectations can affect a cannabis experience if for first-time users. First-time cannabis users are notorious for complaining that they “don’t feel anything.” This is due to their expectation of a cannabis experience not aligning with reality. 

Mixing with Other Substances

One of the most potentially intense factors that affect your cannabis high is when you consume cannabis along with other psychoactive substances like alcohol. In fact, this is one of the factors which can really intensify a cannabis experience beyond your comfort level. 

On its own, a cannabis experience usually isn’t that intense. With other substances, though, it can be a lot more powerful. This is why we don’t recommend mixing cannabis with other substances unless told otherwise by your doctor. 

Presence of Terpenes

Terpenes are organic compounds that are naturally produced by the cannabis plant. In fact, there are over 200 different terpenes. These should be something you keep in mind while choosing what type of cannabis experience you want. 

Terpenes don’t produce any psychoactive effects and are purely medicinal. However, it’s important to note that terpenes can also sometimes have an effect on your high.