For those of you who have never tried marijuana but are thinking about doing so, this guide should help make that first experience an enjoyable, and hopefully, an enlightening one. First of all, know that marijuana is a drug in its own class. It can’t be classified as a stimulant, depressant, deliriant, intoxicant or psychedelic. Everyone will have a different experience.

Do not try it alone. If you have a trusted friend or relative who uses, ask for their guidance. Getting high is a social activity. Joints and pipes get passed around at parties and concerts by complete strangers until they’re strangers no more, but don’t let your first experience take place at a party or concert. It’s too chaotic or illegal. A house or apartment with experienced people you know and trust would be the ideal.

Try smoking it before you try eating it. Smoking may be unhealthy for you in the long run but it’s the safest way to get your first high. When you inhale for the first time, you will cough uncontrollably for about a minute. Coughing is a safety mechanism. It makes you say “No thanks, I’m good” when the pipe gets back to you. The high should start almost immediately, usually less than 1 minute. For decades, the medical community claimed that one of marijuana’s biggest dangers was the immediate onset of the high. But the exact opposite is true. The immediate effect is also a safety mechanism. For example, if you drink a shot of whiskey, vodka or other liquor, it may take ten minutes or longer for the alcohol to take effect. Within that ten minutes, you’re likely to drink several more shots until you do feel the alcohol buzz. By the time you are buzzed you may have already had too much, unless you are experienced and know your own limits. Edibles take even longer to work than alcohol; usually about an hour. The potential for overdosing is that much greater. Try the edibles only after you’ve had experience smoking buds.

Hash oil or vaporizers are an alternative to smoking bud. True, they are concentrated and may be stronger, but like smoking bud the effect is almost immediate; there is no lag time in which to over indulge and the coughing might be less harsh than bud cough. Ask your local bud tender or vendor about vaporizers and the different strains of both bud and hash oil. The effects range from mellow to intense.

If you decide to fly solo your first time, prepare a few things before you inhale. Keep a water bottle close by so you don’t have to get up; it’s safest if you remain seated until your ride comes to a complete stop. You might also want to have sugary soda to fight cotton mouth and some snacks to fight the munchies. Some stereotypes are actually true. Avoid alcohol or other drugs to keep the experience pure. Have several hours of good music queued up and playing. It keeps your mind busy so you don’t panic about how high you are. Finally , if you do start feeling a panic or anxiety attack, say to yourself what my friend said to me when I first got high: “Shut up and sit your ass in that chair. It’ll be over in a couple of hours.” It was his way of saying it was all in my mind.

While you go through this experience be aware of yourself, your mind, your body, your spirit. Were you terrified? Did you enjoy it? Did you learn something about yourself? Did your music sound more awesome or worse than before? Keep track of your limits and what you are able to handle. And no matter what, just enjoy the experience .

–Will N. Dowd

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Regarding Marijuana: “Don’t eat it the first time, it’s so much more intense… It would be like losing your virginity to Ron Jeremy.” – Bill Maher

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