Can’t get high? It happens to seasoned smokers more than you think. One minute, you’re loading your bong while anticipating a night of laughs and munchies. Next, you’re tapping the ash from your bowl, wondering, “Why can’t I get high?”
We know how disappointing it can be when your plans for relaxation take a turn for the boring. Fortunately, there are ways to combat cannabis tolerance. You don’t have to say goodbye to flower and the enriching effects of THC. With a slight adjustment to your approach, you can reclaim 420 and put the buzz back in your smoke sessions.
Don’t get down—get high! Let’s dive into the world of THC and tolerance to discover what happens when we can’t get high and what to do about it!
Why Can’t I Get High?
An inability to get high can come from several factors. Before jumping to conclusions, assessing your process and product is essential to ensure you’re not making small mistakes that add up to wasted weed and lackluster tokes.
Inhalation
If you’re a newcomer to cannabis, you likely can’t get high due to user error. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about—it takes time to inhale like a pro. Avoid mouth-hitting to get the most from your puffs. Instead, draw the smoke into your lungs completely by continuing your inhale even after you’ve pulled the piece away.
Quality of Cannabis
The quality of your stash has a direct effect on the quality of your buzz. We recommend always purchasing weed from licensed dispensaries. State regulations often require lab testing, and you’ll find these results on the packaging of your purchases. This transparency ensures you’re getting the THC you pay for!
However, if you can’t get high with legally purchased cannabis, there’s a chance the strain is old or has a low THC-to-CBD ratio. Old weed, especially when it isn’t stored correctly, loses potency. Make sure you keep your stash away from heat, moisture, and sunlight.
High CBD strains with low THC can also make you feel like you can’t get high. Due to the way CBD interacts with our endocannabinoid system (ECS), it dampens the psychoactive effects of the THC that it’s paired with. Check to make sure your strain isn’t low in THC the next time you’re wondering, “Why can’t I get high?”
Weed Plateau
If you still can’t get high even though you’re inhaling like a pro and your stash is fresh and potent, you’ve most likely arrived at the weed plateau. This phenomenon occurs when the intensity and euphoric effects of smoking wane and is usually the answer to the question, “Why can’t I get high?”
Another word for the weed plateau is simply tolerance. While tolerance looks different for each smoker, the common signs are a lack of overall buzz signified by weaker euphoric and psychoactive effects.
How Tolerance Develops
While it’s simple enough to say that consistent smoking builds up tolerance, it doesn’t explain why some regular smokers never encounter problems while others can’t get high. To truly understand tolerance, we need to consider how cannabis interacts with our ECS.
Our ECS has receptors that the cannabinoids in marijuana bind to. This process of binding is what gives each strain its unique effects. When you ingest large amounts of THC over extended periods, the ECS receptors can become desensitized.
With constant stimulation from regular smoking, the number of receptors available on our neurons decreases in a process called downregulation. Stoners often make up for this new THC tolerance by smoking more. It’s a short-term solution, but can exacerbate tolerance levels until it feels like you can’t get high.
Techniques to Try If You Can’t Get High
If you’re not feeling the same kick from your regular smoke sessions, there are many effective ways to bring back the buzz. We’ll explore some of those below.
Strains
Regularly changing your strains can help keep your receptors from desensitizing. Different combinations of terpenes and cannabinoids create something researchers refer to as the entourage effect. By engaging your ECS in unique ways, you’ll help keep it from locking into a pattern that causes downregulation.
Methods
Smoking methods play a significant role in the way our body processes cannabis. If you can’t get high with a pre-roll, it might be time to shock the system and broaden your horizons.
Bongs allow for cooler smoke, which makes it possible to take bigger hits. Vapes help stoners dial in the temperature, which at higher levels produces more THC. For those who really want to turn up the volume, dabbing concentrates take smoke sessions to the stratosphere with THC levels over four times stronger than regular buds.
Edibles
If you can’t get high through your regular smoking or vaping means, edibles are an excellent way to mix things up. When the liver metabolizes THC, it turns into 11-hydroxy-THC. This new chemical is potent and becomes even more effective at binding to our ECS receptors, which explains the “magic” behind those magic brownies!
Break
Taking a tolerance break, also known as a t-break, gives your body and the receptors in your ECS a chance to recover. By putting down the vape, you allow your systems to regain their sensitivity and end the nagging “why can’t I get high?” narrative.
An effective duration for your t-break differs between individuals. Some only need a few days, while others need weeks. A good place to start is generally two weeks, giving your receptors ample time to recuperate. The next time you smoke, you’ll be amazed at the intensity of your high!
The Final Word on Tolerance
If you can’t get high, you’re not alone. Tolerance strikes many in the cannabis community. Fortunately, you can keep it at bay with extra consideration of your weed and smoking methods.
Once your t-break is over, celebrate with Rose Collective’s massive selection of premium cannabis! Our Venice Beach dispensary is brimming with the buzziest buds at unbeatable prices. Stop by and chat with a friendly budtender, or shop online for easy in-store pickup. Order now!
