Differences Between Getting High And Stoned

Sometimes when we’re high, we get a little philosophical and wonder about the mysteries of life. Why does it seem like the moon always looks directly at us? Did mushrooms come here on meteors and create the human race just to get back into space someday? How long does it take the Blue Man Group to get painted, and then un-painted? It’s funny, informative and a bit alarming where our minds can go when we’re under the influence of our favorite herb.

Sometimes we look inward and ask ourselves how high we are, is this a good high, and who we are.

Many people wonder what the difference is between being high and being stoned. However, little research exists to help us answer this question. In this quiz, we will explore the different types of high, what it is like to be high, and what conclusions we can draw about the two terms.

We’ll have a bowl of our best bud, some enlightening pot, and some thoughtful discussion on the meaning of our highs and lows while we’re high.

Different Types of High

The key to enjoying a high or stoned experience is that it is always different for each person. Different strains of cannabis will have different effects on different people, and no matter how much you try to control the variables, there is still some element of mystery surrounding cannabis use.

We know very little about the biochemical effects of cannabis, and what we do know is only a small part of the story. We still don’t know about the plants themselves, and there are likely many more unknown terpenes out there.

Cannabis has been around for a long time, and we don’t know for sure if our ancestors used it regularly, but there’s a lot of speculation that human beings and their genetic ancestors have sought out and even cultivated hemp and cannabis for thousands of years. To put this in perspective, the oldest written documentation that provides evidence of cannabis consumption comes from central Asia – 2500 years ago, wooden bowls were found in China and tested positive for traces of THC. Our ancestors likely knew what they were doing when they used cannabis, but did they understand the benefits of cannabis, what it did to their brains and bodies, or did they simply have feelings of intoxication or high?

We are using historical cannabis use to illustrate our point about the complexities of the different types of high. Even though humans have interacted with this weed for centuries, we still don’t have a clear understanding of how different strains of cannabis can produce different types of psychoactive experiences. So, it is important to keep in mind that the details of the experience are not as important as just enjoying the experience itself.

After we got rid of the asterix, what are the general categories of highs today? I summarized the many kinds of getting high vs being stoned into archetypes: Emotional and Functional.

Emotional highs are closely tied to the intense emotions we experience during stoned-states. Happy, giggly, sad, angry, stoic or philosophical highs are just a few examples of the kinds of emotions that can occur during cannabis use. It might seem like every time you get high, you’re going to go through a wave of emotions – but that’s usually the case.

Many people who enjoy cannabis experiences feel intense emotions such as happiness, joy, and excitement. These are some of the most notable highs that cannabis can provide.

Happy Stoned: A happy, cheerful high from cannabis is one of the best things in life. When you get high and feel happy, life is just awesome.

Laughing out loud can be a great way to release stress and have a good time. It can be fun to get stoned and have a good time, doesn’t it make sense to use this natural mood enhancer?

The depressing realizations that sometimes come with gettingstoned can sometimes lead to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.

When anger is the result of stressful situations, it can be helpful to use it to power through.

Do you ever feel this way after getting high? Being kind and loving, like the “Happy High”? We think this is the best way to experience the high, and we highly recommend it!

On the one hand, some psychoactive episodes can have more of a purpose than simply heightening your emotional state. These Functional stoned experiences happen when you become energized, your brain is bursting with creativity, or you drift into an uninterruptible sleep. This archetype of getting high is characterized by engaging your mind or body in some kind of functional action (creating) or getting a particular benefit (sleeping).

We have compiled a list of some of the most common types of functional highs that many of you marijuana users are likely familiar with.

The calming, relaxing effects of cannabis are one of its most consistent benefits, so high users appreciate this quality.

The creative high experienced from cannabis cultivation can lead to amazing creativity.

Sometimes, the best thing about cannabis is that it helps us to fall asleep. Cannabis’ powerful sleep-inducing effects not only help us to fall asleep, but have been shown to support sleep quality, consistency, and our ability to dream.

Do you ever get that “functional high” from smoking weed? This type of high isn’t as common as couchlock, but it can be really refreshing and help you to clean your house quickly.

Paranoid High: We didn’t suggest that all of these kinds of psychoactive experiences were positive, did we? Paranoia isn’t pleasant, but it does serve a purpose. Our survival instincts can kick in, and while they’re rarely fun, feelings of paranoia can lead you to discoveries about yourself and the world around you. Just be careful you don’t let this kind of high go to your head too much.

As silly as this section might seem, we’re going to attempt to define “what does being high feel like” in as scientifically specific terms as we can. Without further ado, here’s the most official definition of what being high is like:

High, verb: To ‘get high’ is characterized by the psychological and physiological effects you experience while under the influence of substances like cannabis.
A cannabis-associated high is further categorized into two subgroups: Cerebral Highs and Physical Highs:

I. Cerebral psychoactive episodes are characterized by extreme headiness, introspection, chaotic storms of thoughts, emotions or memories, and a propensity for philosophical pondering.

II. Physical highs can be defined as the impacts of cannabis consumption – both beneficial and adverse – that influence your motor skills, reactiveness, and general bodily states.
Now, to demarcate what it is to be stoned:

Stoned, verb: To ‘be stoned’ is defined as the feelings, experiences, actions and reactions you encounter during the psychoactive influences of cannabis. To feel ‘stoned’ is associated with lethargy, laziness, feelings of intense relaxation or extreme sluggishness. Getting ‘stoned’ can lead to potent emotional responses from giddiness to depression. Feeling the effects of a ‘stoned episode’ often means hallucinating, intense thought patterns, complex emotions, introspection and out-of-body experiences.

There you have it folks, the definitive meanings for being stoned vs getting high. Clear as a hotboxed room full of smoke, right?

The Verdict: Stoned vs High

We have found that there is no real difference medically or scientifically between being high and getting stoned. The terms for ‘being high’ and ‘getting stoned’ are both cultural phrases that originated over the years. While both are used differently, in essence they both mean the same thing for a wide range of cannabis experiences.

Some sophisticated cannabis users would disagree with the sentiment that there are minimal differences between being high and stoned. For some, feeling high is the precursor to the much more intense effects of being stoned. Basically, many cannabis users refer to these different levels of cannabis effects as one leading into the other.

There are many different types of marijuana experiences and each one is unique. Being high is like the early stages of giggling; your perceptions become hazy and the munchies start to settle in. In my opinion, being high feels much like headiness, whereas getting stoned means you’re completely spaced out. So in my opinion, being high and getting stoned are two different things, and I think it’s important to keep this distinction in mind.

There is nothing wrong with believing that there is a distinct relationship between being high and stoned – we are here to advocate the contrary. Our blog was designed to define the differences between what being high feels like and what getting stoned means. In our research and summarizing what we found, we have concluded that both “getting high” and “being stoned” are equally valid terms for how cannabis makes us feel. To you, a good high might be energetic, positive and profound, whereas getting stoned can lock your butt to the couch and make you forget what year it is. That’s completely valid within the framework of your unique, personal experiences with cannabis. To others, the terminology used to describe how cannabis makes them feel or what it does to them mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually might not matter as much. The point is that we’re all indulging in this life-enhancing plant and exploring what it has to offer.

We hope that you will focus less on the wording used and instead just share in the wonders of this wonderful plant.