Cannabis has been around for thousands of years, and it’s become a major point of contention in our society. Some people believe that using cannabis can cause serious, irreversible damage to your neurological health due to THC’s psychotropic properties.
On the other hand, others believe that cannabis doesn’t have any negative effects on your body after you use it in moderation. People fear the consequences of a “bad trip,” and may have the incorrect impression of what a cannabis high may entail versus more elusive psychedelics.
Read to find out if marijuana can make you trip out or not!
Introduction
Have you ever taken cannabis? If so, you probably remember one of the main effects that weed has on your body. Cannabis will make you want to feel an intense sensation that can feel like a full body high.
When you are taking a lot of cannabis, you may experience sensations from a calming numbness to intense anxiety/paranoia. The intensity of these feelings depends on your dosage and how you metabolize THC.
THC is one of the major cannabinoids in cannabis that make you feel high. A sudden and superfluous dose can quickly turn a relaxing high into an incredibly anxious one.
What Is Cannabis and How Is it Taken?
Cannabis is a substance that contains about 200 cannabinoids and also includes terpenes. The cannabinoids and terpenes are the two main active ingredients of cannabis and can be consumed in a multitude of ways.
Smoked Flower: This is the part of cannabis where you find the active ingredients and that is where the aromatic terpenes are most concentrated. That skunk-like scent most people associate with cannabis is the result of these terpenes combusting when the flower is lit or burnt.
Edibles: Edibles are foods infused with cannabis via highly-concentrated butters, spices, or oils containing the plant.
Vaporizer: Vaporizers as opposed to smoking cannabis, heat the material at a lower temperature, allowing the user to inhale the desired cannabinoids without burning it. This can mitigate the harmful respiratory effects of smoke in the lungs.
How Does It Make You Trip Out?
THC makes you feel like you are in an altered state of mind by entering your endocannabinoid system (ECS). Whether it is through ingestion or inhalation, THC is absorbed into the bloodstream and travels to the brain where it attaches to endocannabinoid receptors.
These receptors control the release of neurotransmitters which communicate brain function. Dopamine and serotonin are highly associated with mood and pain expression. Their release is disrupted when THC floods your system, which can result in an unexpected feeling of euphoria.
While it is not entirely clear how a high is achieved, scientists understand it as new receptor signals interrupting the normal flow of communication in the brain. Again, the intensity at which this happens is affected by a person’s weight, the food they have eaten, mental health predispositions, and many others.
Therefore, as a general rule, you should start low and slow with your cannabis intake as there is an upper limit as to how effective it can be. A high initial dose will cause you to hit that cap immediately, which can be psychologically overwhelming.
This is what many experience as a “bad trip,” because they have reached the peak of their high before experiencing its more mellow, medicinal effects. However, you will not experience auditory or visual hallucinations as many incorrectly presume.
THC is generally a behavioral alteror and when overdosed, will likely only result in confusion, increased anxiety symptoms, and racing thoughts. These are still highly uncomfortable effects but will not impair perception as greatly as more psychotropic drugs.
Conclusion
The biggest risk of cannabis consumption comes with abuse and addiction. People who get addicted to cannabis are five times more likely to become addicted to heroin.
While there are significant differences between the two, their abuse is caused by the same kind of negligence: incorrect dosing.
Before putting anything in your body, it is important to understand its physiological effects and to be cautious when trying it out for the first time. Allow for time to pass between consumption to ride out its full effects before going in a second round.