# Pot and Paranoia **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368 "2004-10-09T15:06:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/21 "2004-10-10T19:57:53Z")
> [@iwakura43](#): > > Sounds like you’re _already_ in a bad place, **grienspace** :rolleyes: Like what is that supposed to mean? ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/22 "2004-10-10T20:31:16Z")
> [@pokey](#): > > But then I would go, “holy crow too many deep thoughts,” and get very overwhelmed because even though none of those thoughts are very deep they felt really deep, and they felt like they took 2 hours to work through. And I would think that this was the window into my unconsious thought processes and that this was why I act the way I do and have the personality I have and that it’s, frankly, too much information because I am really a jerk. One of the top 5 reasons I do it! I actually enjoy what you describe, and you described it to a T. I get the same overwhelmed feeling, but enjoy it for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/23 "2004-10-10T21:02:01Z")
> [@grienspace](#): > > Like what is that supposed to mean? I have no idea what he meant, but you must admit that the concept of fearing paranoia has within it a certain risibility. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/24 "2004-10-10T21:26:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Most of my friend smoke pot while they drive. I wouldn’t do that myself, but none of them have ever been in serious accidents or gotten an unusual number of tickets. I do that… in fact, most of my tokin’ buddies do. Don’t be surprised by their lack of accidents or tickets… a [lot of studies](http://www.ccguide.org.uk/driving.html) have indicated that being high while driving doesn’t impair driving (and may even make one a safer driver, though that’s probably jumping to conclusions). A lot of the old myths about weed being as bad as alcohol to driving ability came from studies that blamed weed for bad driving if the driver was both drunk and stoned. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/25 "2004-10-10T21:30:35Z")
[Withnail & I] I’ve got the fear, I tell you! …Look, my thumbs have gone weird! [/W&I] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/26 "2004-10-11T15:37:58Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > I have no idea what he meant, but you must admit that the concept of fearing paranoia has within it a certain risibility. Well I’m definitely not a _ **paraphiliac** _😃 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/27 "2004-10-12T00:16:32Z")
Eh, somking pot doesn’t make me paranoind per say. What it does do to me, is it destroys my confidence level. Which is something I’ve come to find out (the hard way) that I absolutely need to function in this world. Which is also why I chose to quit smoking the stuff. However I DO miss the giggles it used to give me. Makes tv SO much more entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/28 "2004-10-12T01:23:50Z")
My former husband used to smoke about 10 joints a day, every day. He was never paranoid, unfortunately. He would make me smoke with him sometimes. I never really got paranoid, just hungry. And I would lie down and stare at the ceiling, thinking happy thoughts. After he was gone, I thought I would try one last time. I went to our neighbors across the hall and took a few puffs with her. I came back to my apt. My father was there, I don’t recall why and I kept thinking “He KNOWS and the police are coming ANY Minute.” Never again. ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/29 "2004-10-12T02:55:41Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > I have no idea what he meant, but you must admit that the concept of fearing paranoia has within it a certain risibility. That’s exactly what I meant. sumtimes my werds dont come out to good see? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/30 "2004-10-12T03:32:22Z")
> [@pokey](#): > > Me too! A few times! NOT PLEASANT. And yet another ditto. I think about 15-20% of the time I’ve toked up, I have had a panic attack. Last time this happened (about 2 years ago), I felt like my feet were melting into the ground, my heart was racing like I was having a heart attack, my thoughts were extremely disjointed (no pun intended), I thought I was losing my mind. Luckily, I had some good friends around, and was able to have a good laugh about it. It wore off within a half-hour, and I ended up having a blast. This was after only one hit, too. There’s no way to predict how I will react. Most of the time it’s pretty mellow and cool, but when it’s not, it really sucks. Probably why I haven’t had a hit since my last incident. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/31 "2004-10-12T05:17:03Z")
> [@pokey](#): > > You can count me as another square who really really tried to like pot but wasn’t good with it. > > I always just think pot makes time go a bit slower so there’s more time to think in each second. So I would always have all this time to think bad thoughts. So, say during one 30 second commercial I could come to the conclusion that I hate all my friends, and then spend another 30 seconds totally paranoid that I was 100 times worse than them and they could see all MY character flaws too. Then another 30 seconds laughing about it and thinking how cool it is that I can be so tolerant as to spend a lot of time with people who really really suck. But then I would go, “holy crow too many deep thoughts,” and get very overwhelmed because even though none of those thoughts are very deep they felt really deep, and they felt like they took 2 hours to work through. And I would think that this was the window into my unconsious thought processes and that this was why I act the way I do and have the personality I have and that it’s, frankly, too much information because I am really a jerk. > > I always wonder if that’s how pot is for other people but whenever I ask them they act mysterious and say it affects everyone differently. That also makes me paranoid because it’s like it has to be a huge secret what pot does to people. Why? Why so secretive? I hate that! > > Anyway so yeah, that makes me very uncomfortable if it goes on for too long and after some certain point I always felt terrible and tormented. This happens to me every once in a while. I had that today for the first time in a long time, because I smoked and smoked and smoked–I was hanging out with a couple of my friends, one of whom was a dealer, and we smoked several times out of three different devices (as it were). I felt sick for a short while, and I spent a fair bit of time sitting around thinking uncomfortable thoughts. Again, only happens to me when I smoke way too much. Never been really paranoid otherwise. And I personally think I’m a better driver stoned than sober, but my friends don’t really seem to have a consistent opinion either way, so I can’t tell you for certain. I will tell you this: I’ve been in a couple of accidents sober, and never stoned. I’ve also faced situations when driving stoned in which I would have to react quickly or crash, and reacted quickly without a problem. YMMV. And I agree with some of the others here that a drug feeling bad is generally a sign that you should stop using it. I would recommend, in these situations, to stop smoking pot and maybe, if you really feel you still have to get altered, try to find another safe and nonaddicting alternative. Anyone who would like to converse privately with me on this is welcome to email me. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/32 "2004-10-12T05:29:33Z")
Oh, and I’ve had the spiraling thought sequence with DXM and it was a major part of the drug’s appeal for me when I used it regularly. Although mentally and emotionally taxing, these sequences were informative enough (often showing me things I was doing/saying wrong, socially and morally speaking, and how to correct them) to make up for it. Eventually, the negativity of the trip outweighed the learning benefits. The last few times I did it, I would think once in each trip that I should stop using it (at least for a while) because it was beginning to feel bad. I stopped, and might start it again because I’ve been away long enough that I can start over with it, and it’s done a lot of positive things for me. (Although it can be legally bought in stores and in pure drug form online, DXM is of dubious legality. The acts described were committed in the past.) I have had a couple of friends who get paranoid when they smoke. With a few exceptions, it generally seems that people get paranoid when they smoke if they’re already paranoid to begin with. (That is, people who are normally skittish become more so.) For me, other than the occasional spiraling thought sequences and nausea if I smoke too much, it’s generally relaxing. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Niceguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mr.Niceguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Niceguy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/33 "2004-10-12T06:09:18Z")
I really can’t say much. Well, I could but I know _they_ are watching this board. Uh oh. I heard something… ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368/34 "2004-10-12T14:20:31Z")
The use of pot has been associated with tachycardia many times. Tachycardia is a temporary increase in the heart rate with an associated increase in blood pressure. Just google ‘marijuana tachycardia’ and you’ll get lots of cites. So, yeah, it does something to you, and although it might not BE a panic attack, at the time you are high I bet you can’t tell the difference. But, if you are prepared for it, then the feeling might be easier to deal with. “Oh, that’s just my heart trying to pump faster, not trying to explode. Dude. Where’s the chips?” -Tcat [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-and-paranoia/268368.md?page=1)