I’m hearing a variation of a complaint with increasing frequency, in both my personal and professional life. (Kidding—I have no personal life.) It goes something like this:
“I used to get high back in high school and college, and boy, it was great. I was giggly/creative/happy, and had a great time whether I was with my friends or by myself. Now that I’m older, it seems like things have turned. When I smoke now, instead of being happy/creative, I’m tired/depressed/paranoid/introverted. I want to get high like I did back in the day. What I am doing wrong, and what do I need to do differently?”
(Preemptive disclaimer: If you are under 21, don’t use cannabis—unless you have an OMMP card and are 18. Or have epilepsy or chemo and are under 18. Look, it’s complicated. Stay in school, mind the gap, etc.)
It’s a fantastic question, with lots of potential, multifaceted answers that would exceed the length of this column. But let’s cover some ideas for how to address this. Whether you consume cannabis for medical or psychological issues, or for any reason that qualifies as “recreational,” finding ways to access the effects you’ve gotten in the past should be totally doable, via tools both practical and esoteric.
