It seems that as cannabis enters the mainstream there are an incredible amount of curious people who are keen to try it for the first time. One of the questions i’m most frequently asked is ‘what’s it like getting high for the first time’, as with anything new people are reluctant to try it without someone telling them its going to be fine first. Some of you experienced smokers may be thinking why are these people stressing over something so simple as smoking weed, however you have to remember that when you start smoking weed it is a totally different drug. Now I can get high and go to work without it being noticeable to my managers, on the other hand when I was 16 I remember smoking a joint in the garden and having to sit down at the bottom of the stairs to compose myself before climbing them.

These curious new smokers can usually be put into two categories, the first is comprised of those that are interested in trying cannabis for recreational purposes while the other group is interested in the medicinal benefits cannabis can provide. If you are interested in smoking weed recreationally then you should plan your first smoke ahead of time, much like sex you should make sure your first time is perfect as it will always be memorable. Much better to get prepared and have a nice high than have to go smoke in the rain somewhere behind a cinema. There are a few things that you need to take care of before lighting up, make sure you have plenty of food, water and a good selection of entertainment. The drink is vital as you will most likely experience some savage dry mouth, the colder the better in regards to the drink as the smoke you are inhaling is very hot. A comfy couch goes a long way as well but not everyone is lucky enough to be able to smoke inside so just make sure you at least have a bed to go to at the end of the night. You will have such a good sleep after you first time smoking weed but prepare to wake up with a stoneover.

An important thing to remember when getting high for the first time is that cannabis is just an enhancer, it makes the things you already like doing so much better. Don’t be that guy who goes searching on YouTube for trippy psychedelic visuals, your only smoking weed not dropping acid. Just sit back and put on your favorite album and enjoy the experience, personally I like to listen to some chill melancholy music such as My Morning Jacket or Radiohead while watching a muted David Attenborough nature documentary. You cant get much better than this in my opinion but just do whatever you fuck with when your sober.

If you are stuck for music to listen to then check out my favorite songs here.

When smoking for the first time try to make sure that you have at least one friend with you, the experience is much better in a group. If you are in a group where everyone is smoking weed for the first time then prepare for pandemonium. You will all probably just spend the first few hours in fits of giggles unable to stop laughing at each other. In an ideal world you would smoke with a few more experienced people, there would be no issue of people not being able to roll a spliff or being able to buy weed easily etc. However there is nothing wrong with smoking weed on your own if you don’t know any fellow stoners, I just think that having a laugh and chilling with your mates is better than getting very introspective and just thinking about mad things which can easily happen when left alone. Even when you are with people try not to get into your own head too much, if you are smoking with veteran smokers you may think they are looking at you or laughing at you but just chill and enjoy it, they know what its like for someone smoking weed for their first time so try not to get paranoid.

If you are smoking alone or with some other newbies then once you have your weed remember to remove all stems and seeds before you roll the joint. If you are unsure how to roll a joint then you can check out our guide here.

Also try not to over do it, weed is a strong drug at first and if you consume too much then you may ‘whitey’. Going pale as fuck and passing out is not what you want when getting high for the first time so just make sure you know your limits. Other that that go forth and smoke, everyone should be getting high, it makes the worlds bullshit a little bit easier to put up with.

