If you’re equal parts excited and nervous to try cannabis, take comfort in the fact that trying anything for the first time is daunting! Cannabis itself is usually very fun, but the process of getting high can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before. We’re here to help.

We want your first time trying cannabis to be a positive experience, which is why we’re going to share some tips and how it feels to be high.

First Time Insights

You might already know a little about cannabis, but we want you to be experts before you toke up.

Start Small and Build

Before you dive in, get your toes wet by starting with a small amount of THC – that way, you can see how it affects you (after all, everyone is different).

For extracts, look for >10% THC and for edibles, look for >2.5mg of THC and be careful when consuming anything between 2.5 and 10mg. If you can’t find anything that dose, cut a 5mg edible in half or a 10mg edible in quarters.

It’s best to start off slow, and then you can eat another small piece after about 45 minutes if you wish. For your first time, we don’t recommend consuming more than 10mg total.

If you’re smoking, take just a couple of hits of the joint or bowl and then wait a few minutes to see how you feel before continuing.

Trust Your Source

There’s a big comfort that comes with knowing the cannabis you’re consuming comes from a safe place. That’s why we recommend Lake Effect for experts and newbies alike!

Cultivate a Safe Setting

Trying cannabis in a brand new place with brand new people is a recipe for disaster. Instead, plan for your first time to happen at a place you know well (home is always good) with people you feel safe and comfortable with.

Prep Your Mindset

Your surroundings aren’t all you have to concentrate on. You should also concentrate on what’s going on inside, man.

When you consume cannabis, your good feelings get better and your bad feelings get worse. So, try to get into a good headspace if you can. What a lot of people value about cannabis is the fact that it can help you process emotions by getting you to look at them closer and through a clearer lens. But for your first time, if you don’t start out with your mind in the right place, you could end up on an unpleasant road.

To avoid becoming anxious or paranoid during your first time (it does happen), take a deep breath and remember that consuming cannabis is safe to do. You’re not in danger and you’re not in trouble. And here in Michigan, you aren’t doing anything illegal! These feelings always pass.

Drink Water

If you don’t drink water, the morning after you get high will be a parched one. You’ll want to drink plenty of water to avoid becoming dehydrated and feeling kinda ick all around.

Make a Backup Plan

Things don’t always work out the first time. That’s just the way life goes. If things go sideways the first time you try cannabis, if you start feeling uncomfortable mentally or physically, know what you’ll do to remediate the situation. Put on your favorite show, ask your group of safe people to distract you, or just go to bed. Things will be fine with the morning, we promise.

You Might Not Get High The First Time

When you consume cannabis the first time, there’s a chance you won’t get high. This might be because you didn’t inhale (if you’re smoking, you definitely need to inhale to get the effects you’re looking for), you weren’t sure what a ‘high’ felt like, or because it was a fluke session. No matter the reason, practice makes perfect. Your second time will undoubtedly be better than your first; don’t give up.

Cannabis Isn’t a Gateway Drug

If you already have weed enthusiasts in your family, “marijuana is a gateway drug!” is something your great aunt has probably said over a holiday meal (and it probably earned her a good dose of eye-rolls). Don’t let this statement put you off.

Cannabis is not a gateway drug. The reason people think it is is because they’ve been misguided about cannabis and its effects – now that the general public is becoming more educated on the topic, this rhetoric is fading. But it’s something you’ll still hear now and again.

What Does “Being High” Feel Like?

If you’ve never been high before, it’s difficult to know what to expect. But we can do our best to describe how it feels to get high off cannabis.

There’s a reason why people consume cannabis to get high. It feels good! The perfect high is a nice mix of euphoria and relaxation. You might feel a little unsteady with these new sensations at first, so give yourself time to get used to it all.

While cannabis brings about a lot of the same effects, no two people’s high is exactly the same. So, one of the most exciting parts about trying weed for the first time is learning what your personal high is like.

A few more sensations you might experience include:

• Time Warp: Being high can make time feel like it’s going a lot slower. This might be strange at first, but try to ignore the urge to check your phone or watch the clock. Just relax into the moment.
• Spatial Perception Differences: You might notice your depth perception and relation to your spatial surroundings shifting when you’re high. Move slowly and carefully, and you’ll be just fine.
• Surround Sound: Cannabis has an amazing effect on the way we hear music. So, when you’re high, turn on your favorite jams (headphones are a major plus) and listen to them at their very best.
• Munchies: You’ve probably heard of getting the munchies when you’re high, and that’s definitely a real phenomenon. Food tastes so much better when you’re high – just don’t go overboard. Eat your snacks in moderation, and your stomach will thank you.
• Bliss: Probably the best side effect that comes with getting high is the joyful, floating feeling that you get in your body and mind. It can be unusual at first, but just go with the flow and enjoy it.

Your Cannabis Journey

At Lake Effect, we want to see you have the best experience possible with cannabis. Follow these tips for your first time and, before you know it, you’ll be a pro.

If you have more questions about trying cannabis, we’re your one-stop-shop for information. Get in touch or stop by to chat with us; we love introducing cannabis newbies to a brand new world!

Photo by: RDNE Stock Project