Weed is often touted as a healthier alternative to alcohol — what with no calories, no bar fights, and no overdosing. But in rare events, just like alcohol and other drugs, weed still might leave you hungover.
The weed hangover may not give you a splitting headache or have you crouching over the toilet bowl, but you still may feel a bit hazy the morning after a night spent dabbing, eating edibles, or chain smoking joints. While cannabis affects everyone differently, it makes sense that even when you’re no longer high, the THC, which is fat soluble and lingers in your body for several days after ingestion, could have some residual effects.
The experience of feeling that residual THC in your system has been described by some as “stoned-over” — meaning that you’re not necessarily recovering from a night getting high, but that you’re still feeling a little high the next morning. The effects are still rather subtle, in contrast to hangovers from other substances, though you still may feel a little groggy, foggy, or tired at a point when you’re ready to feel refreshed.
While there’s very little research on this phenomenon, one study from 1985 carried out by the National Institute of Health, found that in 13 male cannabis smokers, those who smoked an actual joint rather than a placebo were in fact impacted the next day. “These apparent ‘hangover’ effects were different from the acute effects of marijuana,” the researchers wrote. “These apparent findings suggest that marijuana smoking can produce residual (hangover) effects the day after smoking.”
If you want to avoid a weed hangover, or the “stoned-over” effect, limit your intake, and try to stay hydrated, well nourished and well rested. Being dehydrated could lead to a headache, while brain fog — that dazed and confused feeling — is best cured by getting outside or exercising to help you feel sharper or more awake. Also make sure you time everything out correctly. Eating an edible at midnight right before you go to bed could easily have you waking up still high.
In the event that you do take these precautions, you still may wake up feeling a bit lethargic, but at least won’t be puking up last night’s munchies.
