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The Best Tricks for How to Not Act High. Lighting a joint.
The Best Tips for How to Not Act High

If you want to act normal after you reach that cannabis high, there are certain things you can do. It can be quite daunting experience. However, it is possible. No one has a neon light or flashlight placed behind your head to advertise that you have that cannabis high. Moreover, you don't have to gather around friends when you feel this way. You can recluse yourself and be alone. However, if you want to avoid making others think that something is wrong, it is best to appear sober and less stoned. How do you do this?

Take a Deep Breath

First off, it’s going to be okay. Take a deep breath or two to relax your body, lower your stress levels, and reduce your blood pressure. You can’t completely skip over the effects of THC-rich weed, but you can minimize your level of impairment, to an extent. A simple deep breathing exercise can settle your mind and body nearly instantly. Just follow these steps outlined by Healthline:

  1. Find a comfortable sitting, standing, or lying position.
  2. Relax your shoulders
  3. Put a hand on your stomach and another on your chest
  4. Breathe in through your nose and notice your abdomen expand.
  5. Purse your lips as if drinking through a straw and slowly exhale while pressing gently on your stomach.
  6. Repeat until you feel your desired effects.

How Long Does a Weed High Last?

The effects of weed vary from person to person and can depend on a variety of factors including the product type consumed, the potency of the product, the amount consumed, the tolerance of the users, and the user’s individual metabolism. Smoking, vaping, and dabbing marijuana can produce effects within minutes, while edibles can take up to an hour to kick in. Smoking, dabbing, and vaping effects can last from one to three hours or up to eight hours. Edibles’ effects can peak after about two hours and can last for an entire day.

Experienced versus Novice Highs

If you are an experienced weed smoker, you may already have mastered all of this. But, for the novice or someone new to smoking weed, that cannabis high is harder to control and it will be more difficult to appear normal. This is true if your friends have never seen you with that cannabis high or have never known you to display certain behaviors. So as not to alarm your friends, it is best to start by not smoking too many joints or consuming a large portion of edibles. Stay within the amount that you are able to control. Let's look at some additional ways to avoid acting like you have that cannabis high.

What to Avoid When High

Try to avoid getting high around people who are strangers. If you know your eyes are going to turn red after smoking a single joint, then you could either try to smoke half of the joint or put on sunglasses so no one can see your eyes. It might be difficult to control those giggles or acting paranoid. Be sure to experiment with smoking weed when you around people you know. Be sure that those friends are also stoners like yourself because then your stoned behavior will seem normal to them. Your stoner friends will understand that your behavior is just temporary and that is quite normal to act certain ways when you are stoned.

Being Prepared

Before you start smoking, prepare what you will do beforehand. This means that you will make sure you have stocked up on chewing gum, eye drops, and air freshener. Be sure to have ‘Sploof' in your home. It blocks the odor and smoke from dissipation. Shower after you smoke a joint and it gets rid of the odor from your body. You can also change your clothes to avoid anyone smelling weed on you. Brush your teeth and wash your hands after smoking weed. Light scented candles or burn incense to get rid of the odor and to put you in a different mood.


It’s no secret that marijuana consumption causes a variety of side effects including dry mouth, also known as “cotton mouth.” A dry mouth can make it harder for you to speak clearly and, thus, give away that something’s amiss. Sure, you could just be extremely parched, but what about your red eyes? In order to avoid this problem, keep a glass of water or a water bottle nearby. Remember to take sips during natural pauses in the conversation to stave off mouth dryness. Just don’t overdo it. Sugar-free candy and gum can also help stimulate saliva production in your mouth.

Hide Your Weed

A big part about not looking high is to avoid being caught with weed in the first place. It’s hard to convince someone you’re not high when your half-smoked joint is in full view. Make sure you have an airtight container you can store your cannabis flower, infused products, and paraphernalia. If possible, invest in a smell-proof bag to store your entire arsenal of weed tools. If all else fails, hide your weed where someone wouldn’t normally look inside such as your closet or drawer.

Get Rid of the Smell

One of the main giveaways of having consumed weed is the smell, if you’re smoking, vaping, or dabbing your product. Start by opening all the windows and doors, if possible to let the air flow through your home. Fresh air is one of the best ways to remove any unpleasant odors. Lighting incense is another way to mask the smell of weed. If incense isn't available, add some essential oils into your home diffuser to cover your skunky smell with anything you have on hand. Using a fabric spray over furniture near the smoking area and vacuuming your carpet can eliminate odors, but not completely.


Learn how to cash in on the Green Rush!

Weed smell seeps into nearly every area of your home including your hair and body. Cover up your weed breath with a stick of flavored gum. We recommend anything mint-flavored. If you’ve got more time, brush your teeth and use mouthwash to get rid of any lingering odors. A quick shower can instantly sober you up and ensure your hair or body doesn’t stink of cannabis. Finally, spritz some cologne or perfume on top of clean clothes to keep yourself smelling fresh.

Hit the Showers

A cold shower might be just what you need to sober up quickly. Many marijuana users claim to feel a significant reduction of effects after taking a cold shower or splashing cold water over their face. It’s not clear why this happens, but it’s believed that showering with cold water for between 30 and 90 seconds can stimulate deep breathing, improved oxygen levels, lower blood pressure, and improved circulation.


The jury’s still out on the complete effects of CBD and THC, but researchers believe that CBD is thought to reduce the negative side effects of THC such as anxiety and paranoia. CBD can be a complementary compound that not only reduces the side effects, but also amplifies the positive ones that affect anxiety and inflammation. If you want to sober up, reach for the nearest CBD product available. CBD tinctures can be dropped under the tongue for faster absorption than CBD edibles.  Hold the drops of CBD under your tongue for at least one minute to allow all of the CBD to absorb. For faster effects, CBD vapes may provide fast-acting calming effects on the mind and body.

Take a Nap

If you have some time before you have to act sober, try taking a nap to relax. Sleeping the high off is definitely a thing. The more sleep the better. You can wake up feeling renewed and focused to attend to your responsibilities. Even if you don’t have the time to catch some z’s or can’t fall asleep, lying down and closing your eyes for a few minutes can make you feel comfortable and alert when you get back up.

The Normalcy

To act normally after that cannabis high, refrain from speaking about how high you feel or you will be giving yourself away. Yes, you can be social, but not overly talkative about your experience. And if you are new at this, you probably need to keep the chatter down as well as the interaction. Keep your conversations short until you get down from the cannabis high. Stay around people with more tolerance of marijuana consumption. If you act silly, it won't be seen as annoying, but fun instead.


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Never start an emotional conversation or heated argument. Try not to fidget or act as if you are guilty about something. In most cases, people won't even notice that you are high. So don't give them any idea by tipping them off with excessive or abnormal behavior.

If you want to stay away from everyone during your cannabis high, make sure you have a place in your home or away from home that you can go and be alone. By so doing, you can wait until you are sober enough to be around others.