With medical and recreational cannabis being more useful and popular than ever, many people who may be new to it are starting to give it a shot to help them with a variety of medical issues.
But with new users, come questions and concerns of how it could impact their daily life if used improperly. One of the most common questions asked is – how long does a weed high last?
It’s a great question, but it doesn’t have a straightforward answer.
There’s a few things that each person needs to consider if they want to answer this question for themselves with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
Here are three key factors that will determine how long your weed high will last.
Potency
Cannabinoid – specifically THC – content of whatever strain or concentrate you’re smoking is the first thing to consider.
Naturally, the more of anything that gets into your system the more you’ll feel the effects, and the more buildup of it in your system there will be. If you smoked a cannabis flower with a low THC content (10% or less), then your high will taper off faster, and won’t be as intense. A strain with CBD in it will further help this taper off effect because CBD helps with dialing down the psychoactive effects of THC.
The second part of potency is frequency. It’s important to loop these into the same category because if you smoke a hit of the 10%, let’s say every half hour, the potency compounds and THC levels in your body rise, and so will your high – which means it will take longer to taper off once you call it quits.
Your Biochemistry
Next we have you – or rather how your body works.
The first factor in this category is your sensitivity to THC. There are tests for this that some companies offer. One of the most effective ones is included in your genetics report that tests that as part of a screening. A great one is selfdecode.com
Next, we have your metabolic baseline and body fat percentage. These two factors determine your body composition. THC and all other cannabinoids in weed are fat soluble, meaning they bind to the fat cells in your body. Generally, the higher your body fat percentage, the longer THC stays in your system.
This metric isn’t so much about being high, but how fast your body can break down THC.
How High You Intend to Get
Finally, we have intent. How high are you expecting to get? The higher, the longer it will take to stop feeling the effects.
This is really just a combination of the other two factors we’ve gone over, but setting it apart is still important. If you’re looking for a quick and mild high after the work day while still wanting to go out and do something, that would affect how much you smoke, or what kind of weed or concentrate you pick.
Summary
The potency of your preferred bud or product, your own body and tolerance, and finally your intent, are the factors that you should consider if you want to guess, with some accuracy, how long your weed high will last.
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Additional Resources
How Long Does A Weed High Last?, by weedmaps