What is greening out? It’s the common term for the rush of uncomfortable symptoms that comes with overindulging in your weed. Another term for the bad experience while under the influenced of THC is green out.
If it takes you by surprise, it can be a relatively scary experience, particularly for those who are new to smoking weed or who have never had a green out before. That’s why we’re going to take a look at just what happens, why it happens, and what you can do to feel better during and after.
What Does A Green Out Feel Like?
Getting greened out is the price you pay for finding out just how much weed is too much, on a personal level. While each person’s exact greening out experience will be unique, many symptoms are common to the experience itself.
The symptoms that most people feel are the ones closely linked to the state of hypotension that cannabis can create, such as low blood pressure, and an elevated heart rate. Other symptoms that might be experienced include:
- Going pale
- Feelings of anxiety or even panic
- Dizziness, confusion, and inability to focus
- Fainting
- General weakness
- Nausea, vomiting
- Chills
- Sweating (sometimes called “dab sweats”)
Additionally, as many Redditors can attest, the environment and situation that the experience occurs can also lead to countless uncomfortable, embarrassing, and scary episodes.
Can Experienced Marijuana Smokers Green Out?
Yes, they can. Anyone who enjoys cannabis has the potential to experience greening out.
If you look at it one way, cannabis smokers with lower tolerances, such as newer smokers, would technically be more susceptible to smoking too much THC. However, newer marijuana smokers or those that are aware that they have reduced tolerances are going to be less likely to keep toking once they’re lit.
On the other hand, those with higher tolerances are much less susceptible to overindulgence and its effects. Though, these people are more likely to overshoot the self-titrating effects of cannabis since they’ll be taking larger doses; think bigger blunts, giant dabs, and so on.
How Long Does Greening Out Usually Last
It finally happened. One too many King Palm pre-rolls full of exotic weed has got you locked on the couch and the room spinning around you. How long are you stuck here?
The biggest factor in how long you're green out is your metabolism. Think about how long you’re usually high, and you can often ballpark the length of your experience, since it’s going to be similar.
If you stop consuming in time and only overdo it a little bit, you might only feel the worst of it for a few minutes, even half an hour. If you start to feel it coming on, and you’re still smoking, you’re going to be in for a longer ride.
Another factor is going to be how you consumed the THC that got you in this predicament. If you smoked, you can rest easy, knowing the worst-case scenario might have you down for a few hours. If you overindulge with edibles though, the slower metabolism of Δ9-THC by your intestines & liver into 11-Hydroxy-THC can lock you in for up to 12 hours of uncomfortable, peak highness.
What To Do If You’ve Smoked Too Much Weed
If you are now too high for your comfort zone, and you start to feel some of the symptoms we mentioned above, the biggest thing to remember is to relax, and try not to panic. It’s a temporary situation that will pass as all things do.
Additional ways you can help yourself or a fried friend through this trying time include:
- Stay hydrated. It’ll keep cottonmouth away, but it will also make it easier for your liver to metabolize the THC and remove it from your bloodstream.
- Don’t try to move too much if you’re nauseous, just stay put and let things settle down.
- Take your mind off of just how cooked you are by finding a distraction. If you’re couch-locked, some video games or falling into a YouTube rabbit hole can be just what you need to zone out for an hour or two.
- Eat something if you haven’t eaten in a while. Low blood sugar can make the symptoms much worse and can increase the likelihood of fainting and vomiting.
- It’s not recommended to lie down, in case you do vomit, but for many people, it’s one of the few things that helps. If you must lie down, be sure to lie on your side.
Of course, the best tip is going to be to do what you can to prevent the situation in the first place.
How To Avoid A Green Out
The most effective way to avoid an unpleasant THC experiences is to make it a point to consume responsibly. Here are a few more things to think about before your next session.
Easy Does It
First, make sure you are pacing yourself appropriately. This means not hopping into cannabis smoke session after session if you aren’t used to it. Smoke a bit, and give your body some time to process it and see how you feel. This is most important when consuming edibles, where you should space your doses out by at least 90 minutes to ensure you aren’t overdoing it. In contrast, when smoking, it should be good to evaluate your state after just 10-20 minutes.
Start with Low THC Content For Beginner Weed Smokers
If you find you’re more prone to greening out if you smoke sativas, stay with indicas or hybrids that lean that way. If you’re more sensitive to THC, choose a potency amount that has a more balanced THC:CBD ratio. Make sure to look at the THC potency on the packaging of cannabis to be aware of its strength. The THC strength of Cannabis sold in dispensaries typically average 10% to 35%. Inexperienced cannabis smokers should start with low THC content cannabis options, and be cautious not to smoke too much at once. A beginner cannabis smoker should not for instance smoke an entire joint in one session.
Prepare
This goes along with your strain or product choice. Think about the type of marijuana session you want, and how long you’ll be there. Make sure you have hydration and a snack or two to help with munchies and potential blood-sugar changes.
Consume In Safety
Some locations are simply more relaxing to consume your cannabis in, and these places make the ideal spots to partake. If you have had anxiety or panic issues when smoking, make sure your weed smoking sessions are limited to comfortable and safe environments.
