Why do people like weed? Because it helps them enjoy their life better.
Whether for medical reasons or for personal enjoyment, typically what happens when you smoke weed is that you gain a happier disposition.
Anyone who has smoked weed regularly (or has been around people who do) know that it is not just a substance — it’s a lifestyle. People who smoke several times a week like it because marijuana helps them relax, it relieves their medical symptoms, and it helps enhance their favorite activities.
To these people, nothing signals the start of a good time like the first whiff of a fresh bowl, blunt, or vape billowing into the air.
If you are curious about learning “why do people like weed?”, “what happens when you smoke weed?”, and “what is smoking weed like?”, read on for some definitive answers on the subject.
Medical Symptom Relief
There are many, many reasons why people like to smoke weed, most of which we covered in an earlier post.
The first and most important answer for “why do people like weed?” is that marijuana helps relieve their health symptoms. Using marijuana for chronic pain relief can dramatically improve the quality of life for people suffering from cancer, AIDs, fibromyalgia, and other conditions.
Additionally, CBD in marijuana can relieve inflammation. This effect benefits those with arthritis, diabetes, IBS, and other inflammatory diseases. Without pot, their life would be filled with pain, discomfort, and diminished quality of life.
Weed’s powers as an appetite stimulant and a nausea suppressant also help people who feel ill all the time.
“A day doesn’t go by where I don’t see a cancer patient who has nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, pain, depression, and insomnia,” writes Dr. Donald Abrams in an article for Newsweek.
Dr. Abrams, who serves as Chief of Hematology-Oncology at San Francisco General Hospital, asserts that marijuana “is the only anti-nausea medicine that increases appetite.”
Other conditions marijuana can help with include stress, anxiety, arthritis, and cramps/PMS.
Mental Stimulation
Marijuana affects the endocannabinoid system in our brains, which is connected to a ton of different mental and neurological processes.
As a result, what happens when you smoke weed can vary a great deal from person to person and depending on the strains of marijuana you consume.
Most people are going to experience the stereotypical “high.” After smoking, you feel a sense of floating and enjoyment at almost everything you interact with.
A writer for Men’s Health kept a diary log of his thoughts when he had consumed way more edibles than he was used to. He goes from normal, coherent thoughts to pondering his dog’s paws. “I spent about five minutes looking at her feet,” he says.
While these types of thoughts may seem bizarre, they actually represent a new way of looking at everything. One Reddit user responding to “what is smoking weed like?” describes being high as feeling “like you are a child again, and everything is strange and you are discovering it all for the first time, every time.”
These types of thoughts can actually lead to creative breakthroughs for certain people. Even successful artists often use cannabis as a type of “muse.”
“I smoke a lot of pot when I write music,” Lady Gaga told Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes.
Plenty of people also use being stoned as an opportunity to do housework or engage in mundane activities. Suddenly, something boring and unmotivating can become an adventure as you look at it from a new, “elevated” perspective.
What Happens When You Smoke Weed?
A few things happen when you smoke marijuana that help to answer the question “why do people like weed?”
The first thing you may notice is the above-mentioned sense of euphoria or being “high.” Medical researchers think this happens because our endocannabinoid system is connected to the hormone anandamide. This hormone makes us feel happy, relaxed, and content.
Our eyes also dilate, so we may see color more intensely as a result.
An altered state of mind can cause us to register our senses differently too. What happens when you smoke weed is that you can hear music differently, see different visuals when watching or looking at something, and even taste things differently.
Of course, there are other famous side effects:
- Feeling sleepy (although some strains of marijuana make you feel energized)
- Getting a dry “cotton mouth”
- Having an increased appetite
- Feeling mesmerised or easily distracted
What Is Smoking Weed Like When You’re Older?
Pot has a reputation as a “young kid’s drug,” but there are plenty of older adults who have enjoyed marijuana all their life. Others try weed for the first time at an older age and they usually like what they experience.
Firstly, marijuana helps with all the aches and pains that naturally occur while we age. If you ever wonder “why do people like weed when they’re older?”, this is one of the biggest reasons.
Secondly, smoking pot can actually help improve your mental state when you’re older. Patients report feeling less depression, more happiness, and lower dependence on things like alcohol and tobacco.
Most surprisingly, marijuana can actually boost things like memory in old age. Smoking pot can have a protective effect on cells that can degenerate in old age. As a result, pot potentially helps prevent dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other degenerative brain diseases.
It Makes Life Better
Around 20% of Canadians reportedly smoked weed in 2014, and many more likely have in the years since. That’s over 7.2 million people who have at least tried marijuana! A good portion of those people likely smoke consistently.
When they do, they feel happier, relieve their medical issues, find inspiration, and just generally feel better about life.
So, if you’ve ever wondered “what happens when you smoke weed?” or “what is smoking weed like?”, just try asking someone. One out of every five people will have a great answer for you, and many others will tell you just how much weed has improved their life in general.
