# Is there such a thing as a marijuana rage?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [February 18, 2005, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700 "2005-02-18T13:09:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/1 "2005-02-18T13:09:19Z")
Not certain if this is GQ or IMHO, but I suppose I’ll give it a try here. Anyway, I saw a book somewhere the other day, a piece of fiction, in which the jacket description mentioned something about one character dealing with another’s “marijuana-fueled rages.” I’ve seen a few people high before, and they were always real mellow, like the stereotype of the dope smoker. I’d always sort of assumed that everyone who smoked dope was like that. So what gives? Was the book just full of shit, or was there some basis for the idea?
I can’t remember the name of the book, by the way. I think it was a POD title.
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### Author:  [@PinkMarabou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PinkMarabou)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/2 "2005-02-18T13:41:55Z")
Nope, not true at all.
Daily testing goes on at my house, I’ve proven it can never happen. 😉
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### Author:  [@hocow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hocow)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/3 "2005-02-18T13:43:02Z")
Well, in one respect my best friend can have (lack of) marijuana fueled rages. He is very much addicted to pot and when he doesn’t have any he can goes off the wall. I assume it’s a withdrawal thing, but he will get extremely testy, like a stick of dynamite about to explode. In a way I see that as a marijuana fueled rage. When he is high, he’s usually more mellow.
I’ve also seen people get angry if someone “kills” ther buzz. But, YMMV.
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### Author:  [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/4 "2005-02-18T13:44:43Z")
No.
However, add alcohol to the mix and the answer can change dramatically.
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### Author:  [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/5 "2005-02-18T14:13:08Z")
Addicted to weed? I’ve never met anybody who was actually addicted to it, and I definitely never met anybody who would go into violent rages either high or fiending. I used to smoke… well, a lot. I can’t imagine even having the energy to get into a rage. Maybe their weed was laced with something? PCP perhaps?
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### Author:  [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/6 "2005-02-18T14:31:02Z")
I don’t know, since all I saw was the blurb. I was trying to find it again, but I’m not having any luck. When I saw that, it made me immediately think the publisher was a vanity press, because the story just didn’t sound very legitimate to me.
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### Author:  [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/7 "2005-02-18T14:33:56Z")
I suspect that just about any answer you get here will be based on anecdotal evidence, althoough I would enjoy reading about any studies that have been done. I knew a lot of potheads when I was in college and I only ever saw one guy who had a temper while high. At a party, some guy was making lewd comments to his girlfriend. It took three of us to hold him back while the lewd comment make ran off. The rest of the night, he was mildly pissed at us for not letting him kick his ass. Thing was, is that sober he had a short fuse as well.
The point of that rambling story was that in my experience, pot only brings out whatever is there. If someone is short tempered and gets high, then he will still be short tempered. I never saw anybody who was a calm guy all of the sudden go into a rage.
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### Author:  [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/8 "2005-02-18T14:42:22Z")
I can’t recall ever getting mad while high … unless somebody ate my Funions.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/9 "2005-02-18T14:47:45Z")
Yeah, I’ve seen some people, when they’re high, **really** attack some twinkies.
It wasn’t a pretty sight. That poor, poor, cream filling. 😃
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### Author:  [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/10 "2005-02-18T15:02:52Z")
DUDE! You totally _sopped_ that J! Try not to drool all over it next time, k? _sheesh_.
fffffffffffffffffffftttt
:'ere:
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/11 "2005-02-18T15:46:23Z")
Maybe if something else was in the marijuana, otherwise I doubt it. Anecdotally, I’ve seen plenty of people get high over my few years, and only one was ever angry while high- and that was somebody with a lot of other problems who was using a number of other drugs.
**audiobottle** , I’m sure you can get psychologically addicted to the stuff.
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### Author:  [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/12 "2005-02-18T15:52:46Z")
Yes it is very possible to become addicted to the substance and go off on a raging rampage. Seriously. Stop laughing. I mean it. Really. Cut it out. Stop touching me.
It is documented here:
[Reefer Madness](http://imdb.com/title/tt0404364/)
No, not really.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/13 "2005-02-18T16:39:32Z")
There can apparently be some negative (and potentially dangerous) personality effects, but they appear to be evident only in the “coming down” portion after extremely intense use, and are seen more often when marijuana is eaten vs being smoked. The other point \*\*belladonna \*\* made about alcohol is also pertinent, in that would suspect a majority of users will often combine both.
[Research Report Series - Marijuana Abuse -
What are the acute effects of marijuana use?](http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/marijuana/Marijuana3.html)
> [@](#):
>
> A marijuana user may experience pleasant sensations, colors and sounds may seem more intense, and time appears to pass very slowly. The user’s mouth feels dry, and he or she may suddenly become very hungry and thirsty. His or her hands may tremble and grow cold. The euphoria passes after awhile, and then the user may feel sleepy or depressed. Occasionally, marijuana use produces anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic.
>
> Marijuana use impairs a person’s ability to form memories, recall events (see Marijuana, Memory, and the Hippocampus), and shift attention from one thing to another.8,35 THC also disrupts coordination and balance by binding to receptors in the cerebellum and basal ganglia, parts of the brain that regulate balance, posture, coordination of movement, and reaction time.11 Through its effects on the brain and body, marijuana intoxication can cause accidents. Studies show that approximately 6 to 11 percent of fatal accident victims test positive for THC. In many of these cases, alcohol is detected as well.36, 37, 38
>
> In a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a moderate dose of marijuana alone was shown to impair driving performance; however, the effects of even a low dose of marijuana combined with alcohol were markedly greater than for either drug alone39. Driving indices measured included reaction time, visual search frequency (driver checking side streets), and the ability to perceive and/or respond to changes in the relative velocity of other vehicles.
>
> Marijuana users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute toxic psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization - a loss of the sense of personal identity, or self-recognition.10,16 Although the specific causes of these symptoms remain unknown, they appear to occur more frequently when a high dose of cannabis is consumed in food or drink rather than smoked.
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### Author:  [@mlerose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlerose)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/14 "2005-02-18T16:52:01Z")
> [@audiobottle](#):
>
> Addicted to weed? I’ve never met anybody who was actually addicted to it, and I definitely never met anybody who would go into violent rages either high or fiending. I used to smoke… well, a lot. I can’t imagine even having the energy to get into a rage. Maybe their weed was laced with something? PCP perhaps?
You didn’t grow up with my dad. He was psychologically and physiologically addicted to it and was in a violent rage pretty much any time he wasn’t actively stoned.
If you smoke it constantly for 30 years, starting when you’re a young teenager, you CAN get to the point where you need it to be “normal,” which describes my dad to a T.
Not to say that it can/will happen to anyone, but if you’re predisposed to addiction and pot happens to be your drug of choice, you can get addicted.
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### Author:  [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/15 "2005-02-18T17:16:27Z")
[MARIJUANARAGE]Quit bogarting that doob, Dude![/MARIJUANARAGE]
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### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/16 "2005-02-18T17:17:38Z")
> [@Krys92gp](#):
>
> Well, in one respect my best friend can have (lack of) marijuana fueled rages. He is very much addicted to pot and when he doesn’t have any he can goes off the wall. I assume it’s a withdrawal thing, but he will get extremely testy, like a stick of dynamite about to explode. In a way I see that as a marijuana fueled rage. When he is high, he’s usually more mellow.
>
> I’ve also seen people get angry if someone “kills” ther buzz. But, YMMV.
My ex and his child bride were both heavy pot smokers. When one of them would smoke the last of the pot (they’d actually get up early to steal the last buzz from the other) all hell would break loose. I considered selling tickets to this thrice-weekly event, but they probably would have stolen the proceeds.
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### Author:  [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/17 "2005-02-18T19:08:55Z")
I’m guessing a large part of why the effects seem greater when eaten as opposed to smoke is largely a factor of the quantity. When smoking, it’s pretty easy to know how much you’ve smoked. When eating, especially if it’s baked in something like brownies or something that has very strong flavor, you really don’t know. Another factor would be how quickly it gets absorbed in your body. Smoking/vaporizing puts it in your bloodstream, and from there your brain, pretty quickly. Eating will take a while longer as it has to be absorbed through your intestines and whatnot first. So eating will draw out the effects as well as making it a more blunted reaction. This jives pretty well with my own personal experience, and with everyone else I’ve ever talked to. I stopped smoking a couple of years ago because I felt like I was getting slower, mentally speaking. As drugs go, it is pretty harmless, but it’s still something that alters your normal state and should be treated as such.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/18 "2005-02-18T19:20:26Z")
[anecdote] I had an ex-boyfriend once tear the living room apart during a dry spell. Fortunately, when he hurled the couch, a roach fell out. He settled right down to smoke it. [/anecdote]
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### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/19 "2005-02-18T19:42:10Z")
"Fffffact, pot’s a better drug and a better drug for you. If you’re out at a concert, game, movie, and there’s someone being loud, obnoxious and violent, are they drunk or stoned? That’s right Johnny, show 'em what they’ve won…
Let me tell you something, you can’t get in a fight on pot because it’s fucking impossible.
’ Hey buddy!’
‘Hey what!?!’
~both scratch heads, look off into space, confused, then walk away~
End of story." -Bill Hicks
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### Author:  [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-marijuana-rage/290700/20 "2005-02-18T19:46:05Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#):
>
> [anecdote] I had an ex-boyfriend once tear the living room apart during a dry spell. Fortunately, when he hurled the couch, a roach fell out. He settled right down to smoke it. [/anecdote]
That’s a visit from the Weed Fairy, who hides pot somewhere you’d never think to look until you _really_ need it. 🙂
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