How To Tell If Someone Is High

Nikhil Goswami

Marijuana is illegal under international drug control treaties, yet it is the most common drug in the USA. Millions of users take marijuana in multiple forms daily, but most stick to smoking. It does offer relaxation and calmness and might provide some benefits, but most people face its severe effects because of drug abuse. Other effects, like weak memory, poor focus, and aggression, are quite common after prolonged usage of marijuana.

It is apparent that people smoking marijuana might not disclose it to their families. With marijuana becoming more common, it is better to know how to tell if someone is high. So, if anyone in your family uses it, you should know immediately.

Every marijuana user will express some changes in their behavior, mostly negative. This article covers the signs of substance abuse and how you can help someone get rid of marijuana addiction.

Signs Of Marijuana Use In A Person

Here are the common changes you’ll see in someone on marijuana abuse. It doesn’t matter if they smoke marijuana or use edibles; the results are the same if they overuse it. If you catch them in the early stages, take away the marijuana paraphernalia to avoid more problems. If you are unsure but have doubts that someone near you is using weed, monitor these signs and take precautionary steps as soon as possible.

  • Panic

Smoking weed occasionally is fine, your brain and body fight back the effects of weed, and you won’t face any side effects. However, using marijuana frequently can make your brain sensitive to stuff around you. In such cases, people smoking weed daily will panic at even little changes or movement around them.

If you know someone who has been strong and stays calm during stress but now panics even when you suddenly get close to them, the chances are they have been using marijuana frequently. Sometimes, people panic and suddenly forget about the incident, which also shows they have been using weed.

  • Anxiety

The THC that causes the high feel and the addictive component in weed is highly known to help treat anxiety. However, overdosing on THC cartridges will start causing anxiety instead of reducing it. On the other hand, a person using weed for weeks can also develop anxiety symptoms when stressed. Since their brain would prefer to relax, it won’t put effort into countering the stress making a person anxious.

Monitor the behavior of the person on whom you have doubts about using weed, and if they get anxious over little stuff and leave the house, they are probably going to smoke some weed to ease the tension.

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  • Delayed Reaction Times

Slow reactions are one of the most common warning signs of drug addiction. People using weeds frequently for months can’t decide quickly and require additional help to make a small decision. This happens because of poor mental health due to substance abuse, as your body can’t send proper signals to the brain.

If your brain can’t get a quick signal, it can send back a message for reaction. It won’t slow their movements; instead, they’ll need more time to react to your words. This is relatively easy to catch as the person will fully concentrate on you, but if asked to do anything, they’ll take time to process it.

  • High Blood Pressure

Marijuana can raise your blood pressure by making your heart beat faster. While this is easy to control in the initial stages, the blood pressure problem becomes significant as you keep using it. What this does is that it usually makes you angry; since you are irritated because of hypertension, anything that displeases you trigger the anger.

This happens with most smokers, and smoking weed has no exceptions. Moreover, at the start, it happens right after use, so if you see a calm person suddenly getting triggered, the chances are they have been smoking weed.

  • Distorted Senses

This is a fun sign of using weed but it leads to more significant problems. Most people smoke weed to enhance their abilities; most athletes use marijuana to improve their senses and perform better. Even an average man can have enhanced sound, sight, and smell after smoking weed. However, with such enhancement, they can’t tolerate a loud sound, harsh light, or strong odor.

If a person sitting in your room is bothered by the light of a bulb and repeats their behavior multiple times, take them to a delta-8 drug test to check if they are using weed.

  • Red Eyes

Anyone using marijuana is expected to have red eyes, especially if they smoke frequently. Typically, it happens because of a strong dosage, and marijuana is never available in mild doses, so expect every weed user to have light or blood-red eyes. Anyone in your social circle smoking weed will show this sign; thus, they are quite easy to catch. However, only those inhaling the smoke will show this sign.

Those who puff the joint and release the smoke without taking it into the lungs won’t be affected. They will feel the effects of weed but on a mild level which is not dangerous.

  • Increased Appetite

Another common sign of taking high doses of THC is an increase in appetite. It happens because weed interacts with a hormone secreted in your stomach called ghrelin. The job of this hormone is to tell your brain that you are hungry.

Marijuana can release ghrelin, telling your brain that you are hungry; thus, you eat at odd times, especially when you don’t have anything else to do. However, other reasons can also trigger appetite, including depression and stress. This sign might not be helpful, but if you see someone overeating for four or five days without any reason, take them to a doctor.

  • Paranoia

This is a major and threatening sign that a person has been using marijuana for a long time. Such people feel threatened by anyone and mostly look afraid when going out or even sitting at home. They’ll have trust issues and mostly try to drive away friends and family members. Even if you try to comfort them, they won’t believe it.

They’ll feel like it despite having no evidence that someone is threatening them. If someone near you reaches this stage, wait no more; get rid of their drug paraphernalia, and seek treatment immediately.

  • Poor Academic Performance

Most people develop marijuana habits when they are in college or university. Since most academic places are far away, students have to live in a hostel. They are free to visit college parties, night clubs where weed is readily available. With all the stress from studies, drugs become an easy escape.

If your child has been excellent when they were with you but showing poor academic performance, have a nice warm talk with them. If they get aggressive behavioral signs and try to avoid seeking medical treatment, they might be using weed.

  • Poor Muscle Coordination

Using marijuana for a long time can weaken your muscles despite your bulky appearance. Marijuana can mess up the transmission between neurons and your muscles. This leads to poor communication between your muscles and brain since neurons do not send signals properly. This doesn’t mean that you have lost your strength; your brain and body connection is not proper. A marijuana user shows this sign in the first week of smoking and after months of smoking when weed is taking over the body. Moreover, they’ll always need weed to improve muscle coordination.

  • Lack Of Energy

A marijuana addict will always lack the energy to do anything. Instead, they’ll choose marijuana high to stay relaxed and slack off. This is an obvious sign of drug abuse, which gets severe if you don’t help them quit weed. Even if they get excited over something, they might lose interest and prefer to rest within minutes.

The weird part is that they’ll try to isolate themselves to smoke weed. If anyone around you is showing this behavior, get close every time they come back, and you’ll smell the weed on them. Most weed users don’t take this measure to use perfume to cover the smell, so it is easy to catch them.

  • Lack Of Motivation

Using weed in low doses can help increase your motivation and confidence. However, frequently using weed in high doses will cause them to lose the ability to motivate themselves to do something for fun. Instead, they choose to smoke weed no matter where they are.

If you offer them to do something entertaining, they’ll reject you and leave the party. If any of your friends or family member who was once full of motivation suddenly start lacking it, you must check on them to see if they are depressed or using weed.

  • Financial Problems

Drug users always need money to purchase more drugs to satisfy their needs. Even a student will look for ways to get quick money to purchase weed. Most of the time, they’ll keep borrowing it from their friends or family.

  • Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia

If you doubt someone in your family or friends is using weed, visit their room to check for weed equipment. Typically, stuff like bongs, weed vapes, rolling papers, pipes, and other stuff used to store or smoke weed will be found in their bags or drawers.

How To Help Someone Using Marijuana For A Long Time?

It is obvious that a person using drugs won’t quit and will not take any medical help. So, you’ll have to use alternate ways to help them until they are ready to visit a rehab center or take medications that can help eliminate marijuana desire.

  • Find The Reason

Everyone knows weed’s side effects; most people won’t choose weed unless they have no other option. Some might use it for fun, but most have tension in their mind and want a quick escape. If you find your loved ones smoking weed, don’t be harsh on them, as that might make things worse. Approach them gently and try to talk them out; use emotions if you want to let them open up. The chances are that they’ll tell you the reason in tears or anger, but you’ll know it. Once you know it, try to help them as much as possible so they won’t rely on marijuana. The first couple weeks might be difficult, but if they are given comfort and help, they’ll quit using marijuana for sure.

  • Provide Alternate Options

Many better options are available that people can choose from instead of weed for comfort. CBD vape cartridge is the best alternative since it offers relaxation without addiction and side effects. CBD vapes are also available if someone likes to smoke a lot. If they like to get high, delta-8 vapes are the best option as they contain a low amount of THC. The user will get a smooth buzz but won’t lose their senses or get addicted to it.

  • Take It Easy

Quitting marijuana suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms that might be harsh on the consumer. It can trigger anxiety, insomnia, irritability, hallucinations, nausea, and even cause pain and fatigue. The best way is to help them get rid of it slowly, from providing them weed with one day break, then twice a week, to once a week. After that, you can offer them beneficial alternatives that won’t cause addiction. This step works the best as those willing to quit marijuana will put in an effort because it won’t be painful.

Conclusion: How Should You Handle Someone Who Is High?

Some signs of marijuana use are obvious, like red eyes and the smell of weed, while for others, you need to monitor the behavioral changes in a person. We shared all the possible and common signs of marijuana abuse in the article above. Using these signs, you can easily tell if someone is high or not. If you catch someone showing such signs, be easy on them and have an honest and warm conversation to find out why they started.

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