I’ve had a friend tell me that cannabis growers have managed to breed out the paranoia-inducing tendencies of marijuana.
I think you will find, as you amble through the series of responses that follow, and various sites you’ll be directed to on the internet, that as far as we know, all the subjective sensations we experience as a result of psychoactive drugs, including paranoia, are, in fact, related to the drugs, themselves. That’s a way of saying that the cannabinoids that cause the effects cause all the effects. THC makes a person high. Whatever “high” means for people, it is a psychoactive drug and it affects perception among other things. Paranoia is one of the common sensations users report. FWIW, many people suggest that THC’s primary effect is to enhance sensory and psychological experiences. Consequently, new users, and young users who are understandably wary of being caught doing something illegal or proscribed, are frequently nervous about using marijuana. Enhanced, that nervousness is transcribed into fear that is not handled well - paranoia. Try Dr. Grinspoon’s websites. They’ll give you more info. Don’t know them by URL. Google, grasshopper.
I have a friend who gets really truly excedingly paranoid from smoking; is your friend saying that this is a worldwide trend or that SOME individual cannabis grower had achieved this? Because as of 2005 kind in Amsterdam still had this effect on my friend. I think it is a psychoactive effect of the psychoactive chemicals.
I’m pretty sure your friend is blowing smoke, 11811.
I think the paranoia is a result of the brain suddenly becoming aware of taking in more sensory perception from the world around it, similar to the heightened state of alertness when a threat is imminent. The suddenly raised level of information intake could be interpreted in a paranoid way when it makes you become more wary of subtle changes in your environment that you usually ignore. I don’t think it necessarily has to be interpreted in a threatening way, but for some people maybe it would take practice to handle the rush without a paranoid reaction. Maybe if they experienced it as riding a wave of energy.
This may have it’s origin in American Beauty, the dealer next door claimed to have some genetically modified weed without paranoia. For the record CC, I experienced more paranoia at the end of my using days
Interesting. I’ve seen American Beauty but don’t remember that part. It seems folks here think you can’t separate the paranoia from the other effects, and the arguments here seem to make sense.
That’s what I’ve heard. Obviously the best advice if you want to remove the paranoia is to simply not smoke the stuff. However, this is the real world and people will smoke it, so the advice I have heard is that it’s a mild fear that can be enjoyable (like, say, a roller coaster ride), and to recognise it for what it is, that yes you are just stoned, no the cops aren’t beating your door down, and to keep channeling your thoughts in that direction.
Sounds more trouble than it’s worth for mine though, so I’ll have another scotch if you’d be so kind.