Is Weed a Depressant? Understanding Marijuana’s Effects
This post is part of our Best Dispensaries Around the Bay Area series, sponsored by Project Cannabis.
Is weed a depressant? The answer to this question is a bit more complicated than you might think. If you’re asking yourself, “Is marijuana a depressant? Is that why I’m feeling so tired?” you’ve come to the right place. We have the answers you’re looking for in the sections below.
Table of Contents
What Exactly Is Weed?
Cannabis, also known as marijuana or weed (or a lot of other nicknames), is a plant that contains the psychoactive chemical THC. Because of THC, marijuana can produce a variety of effects.
Marijuana use dates back millennia and has been used for a variety of purposes, including medicinal and spiritual applications of the plant. Today, weed is legal in many US states and can be enjoyed in multiple forms, including different types of edibles. Other ways to consume weed include smoking, using an under-the-tongue tincture, or even a vaporizer.
Effects of Marijuana Use
So, is THC a depressant? This psychoactive compound can actually have a variety of different effects. It can act as a depressant, a stimulant, or even a hallucinogen. Before making cannabis a part of your life, it’s crucial to know about its effects and how and why they differ.
Depressant
A depressant is a substance that “brings you down.” In other words, depressants tend to make you feel relaxed, calm, and, in many cases, pretty sleepy. In addition, depressant substances can sometimes make it harder to concentrate, make you feel a bit dizzy, and disorient you. These adverse effects of depressants make it important to use them in moderation.
Because of the presence of THC in weed, the drug can make you feel relaxed, mellow, and sleepy. This is especially common with the indica strain of marijuana.
So, is marijuana a downer? It depends. In some cases, the drug has depressant effects, but the different strains of cannabis can make you feel stimulated as well.
Stimulant
This is where the question “Is cannabis a depressant?” gets a bit more complicated. Marijuana, especially the sativa strain, can also be a stimulant.
A stimulant is a substance that tends to make you feel more alert and energized. This is because THC stimulates the release of the “feel-good” neurotransmitter dopamine in your brain. As a result, enjoying cannabis in one of its many forms may make you feel more focused, alert, and ready for physically or mentally engaging activities.
Hallucinogen
A hallucinogen is a drug that alters the way we perceive reality. Hallucinogenic drugs are substances that can cause changes in a person’s perception, mood, and thoughts, and weed is classified in this category.
Marijuana’s hallucinogenic effects tend to be on the adverse side. They include dizziness, nausea, confusion, and tingling sensations. If you’re experiencing these effects while consuming cannabis, it may be a sign that another strain or form of weed is better for you than what you’re currently using.
Using Marijuana for Pain Management
Amazingly, marijuana can be used for pain management, especially for people with chronic pain. Researchers speculate that marijuana helps with pain relief due to the presence of THC, the same compound that gets you high. However, it’s important to note that research is still relatively limited on weed’s effectiveness in pain management.
There are several different types of weed that can be used for pain relief, including edibles and tinctures.
Factors That Influence the Effects of Marijuana Use
So, why can marijuana produce so many differing effects? How can this one drug be a hallucinogen, a depressant, and a stimulant?
The answer is multifaceted: there are many different strains of weed, people react differently to each, and a person’s environment can impact how weed affects them.
Everything from eating food to drinking alcohol to taking prescription medication can impact the way your body responds to weed. That’s why it’s important to start out your cannabis journey with moderate amounts of weed and see how you feel.
Where To Purchase Marijuana
The best place to purchase marijuana is a licensed dispensary like Project Cannabis in SOMA. When you get your marijuana from a reputable dispensary, you can count on its quality and safety and get the help of professionals in finding what you need.
Conclusion
In short, weed can be a depressant, but it can also be both a stimulant and a hallucinogen. Everyone has the potential to react differently to weed. That’s why it’s best to explore the world of cannabis with a clear head, a sense of moderation, and weed from a trusted dispensary.
Named after Pearl Street in La Jolla, Pearl is the unofficial mascot of the various elves on the daily news desk at LaJolla.com. We’re writers, editors, and people who work on websites; sometimes so many people work on one project that no one feels like they should take the credit.
