Almost every stoner has had a weed paranoia experience. While everybody stones for the feelings of euphoria and enchantment, sometimes you end up with feelings of panic and paranoia. And it’s normal, don’t freak out. Let’s look at the scientific explanation of how weed causes paranoia.
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How Does Weed Cause Paranoia?
Well, the link between weed and paranoia is one that every stoner who has experienced weed paranoia wants to dig through. It’s no mystery; weed is rich in THC which acts on different parts of your brain to enhance your senses—including those of anxiety and paranoia. But yeah, experiencing paranoia is no indication that you’re a juvenile or inexperienced stoner, it goes deeper than that.
When you consume THC, it binds to receptors in different parts of the brain, including those in the Amygdala. The Amygdala is the part of the brain which is responsible for processing feelings of fear, stress, and paranoia. When Amygdala is overstimulated, which is what happens when you consume THC, it enhances the feelings of anxiety and paranoia.
The feelings of paranoia will occur most frequently to beginner stoners. Still, as their system gets used to weed, they develop tolerance to THC, thus reducing the intensity and frequency of weed paranoia.
How long does weed paranoia last?
When it comes to the length of time it takes before the feelings of paranoia subside, a lot of factors come to play.
First is the method of consumption. When you smoke the weed, the high hits faster, and the wanes just as fast. The paranoia induced by smoking weed dissipates as the THC effects relax on the brain.
With smoking, THC effects calm faster, hence a shorter weed paranoia experience. This takes minutes typically— under an hour from when you stopped stoning. You will continue being high, but the feelings of fear and paranoia shall have subsided.
Edibles, on the other hand, can get you wrecked up because the paranoia hits more intensely and lasts longer— usually into hours. The problem with edibles is that the effects take longer to kick in, and so most people continue eating to feel the instant result.
Then later, when all the doses kick in, you’re left to combat myriad feelings, including paranoia. Since the dosage is high, the effects are more pronounced and longer-lasting.
Another factor that’ll influence how long the paranoia lasts is the strain. Strains that are higher in THC are more psychoactive; any THC dominant strain is more likely to make you paranoid, especially if you’re a beginner.
CBD-rich strains, on the other hand, are unlikely to cause paranoia. In fact, you can have CBD products to combat THC-induced paranoia.
How to stop weed paranoia
Have you ever found yourself harbouring unwarranted paranoia after stoning? If you have never experienced paranoia after stoning, then you have heard weird weed paranoia stories. These things happen; people get paranoid when stoned. Well here are nine ways to combat paranoia and enjoy the bliss moments:
Weed-induced paranoia leads to a bloody end in this tense Halloween shocker: http://t.co/MgLpcTpNBj pic.twitter.com/r4ILzOBgq2
— Funny Or Die (@funnyordie) October 31, 2014
1. Stay calm. Weed can’t kill you.
Oops! I had to start with this. We all love to get high until your house begins swirling in circular motions and you think that you will be thrown out through the window, break your neck and die.
Funny, it might sound, but I know a guy who almost called an ambulance because he feared that something terrible would happen to him. The next day when we asked him, he told us that his head was throbbing and he thought he would die. Lol!
In the history of marijuana, there isn’t a single research that shows that marijuana overdose can kill anyone. Weed has never killed anyone, so anytime you feel paranoia taking control of you, repeat this to yourself “weed cannot kill anyone.” It will kill your fears and give you the assurance to enjoy your blunt.
2. Take a cold shower
I know you don’t like cold showers. Nobody does, er, okay some people love cold showers, but it isn’t common. However, a cold shower can help you calm down and beat your paranoia. A cold shower interrupts the flow of your thoughts and reboots your nervous system.
3. Drink water
Have you ever drank water while feeling too high? If you have, you will attest to the fact that water gives you a nourishing feeling— you feel like you are less high after drinking water. Water works by hydrating your system, flushing your body, and moistening your lips. Drinking water also restores the ‘feel good’ vibe and interrupts your wrong imaginations.
4. Consume a CBD-rich product
THC can cause intense feelings of paranoia. While other simpler ways, like taking a cold shower and drinking lots of water can help, you can counter the THC effects with CBD. If your paranoia is induced by edibles, it might take a little longer, and countering it with a CBD-rich product will give you quick relief.
5. Smoke with your buddies
When you smoke with a friend you trust, you always get the feeling of security and mutual concern. You stone with the belief that nothing can happen to you when you are in the company of a friend.
I can attest to this, when I began smoking, feelings of being in a deserted place used to overwhelm me, and I got so paranoid most of the time.
Even if a spoon dropped, I would get on my feet or scream. When I began stoning with friends, the feeling changed. I felt like we were one big family, and nothing could scare us. If you feel paranoid most of the time, only smoke when you have your buddies around. It helps.
Weed paranoia in a nutshell:
— Prince S (@humoronahotday) October 4, 2017
Me: *takes hit*
Me to me: They know. pic.twitter.com/nR1smPLQmb
6. Eat Lemon fruit or juice.
Lemon juice is one of the few known remedies for blunt highness. Squeezing lemon juice can help you reduce the activity of THC and reduce your paranoia. Lemon contains limonene that modulates the effects of THC in the brain. If you are feeling too high, squeeze some lemon, savor the taste and calm down. You will be grateful you did!
7. Be kind to yourself
While blunt can make you feel paranoid, you can make the situation worse by being too hard on yourself. Be kind to yourself; do not judge yourself too harshly, do not deny yourself the things you are craving if you can have them and don’t torture yourself for your inability to have rational thoughts.
Instead, immerse yourself in positive thoughts, enjoy the moment and gift yourself some comfort.
8. Chew longer
Weed and munchies are best friends. When you feel like eating, do, but mind how you eat. Do not just gobble the food down your throat; take time with each mouthful. Chew the food longer and concentrate on the eating process.
Focusing on something as rhythmic as chewing distracts you from the bad trip, gives you a new trail of thought, and puts you back to the feel-good zone.
9. Kill the smell
We all love to stone, but no one likes to carry the smell around. Sometimes, what causes you fear is that someone can catch the scent of weed on you and know you have smoked a blunt. You don’t want the authorities to catch you smelling like weed and disappointment.
Use a powerful air freshener to kill the marijuana scent. Knowing that you smell fresh, and has no weed smell on your clothes can ease your paranoia. If you haven’t invested in weed air freshener, check our review of the best air fresheners for weed. You might get just the one for you.
In conclusion
Paranoia is a common vice to consuming THC-high weed. It is not abnormal, so you shouldn’t be hard on yourself when paranoia engulfs you after stoning. Try any of these tips; you’ll be fine.
