Consumption of marijuana in contemporary culture has been on a steady rise, especially for young people in Africa who’ve embraced the use of marijuana and are more open to using the psychedelic effects of the drug in various aspects of their lives.

When it comes to weed experiences, different strokes for different folks, some have great experiences of their first time smoking weed while others end up being paranoid and lose interest in ever trying again. Your body, mindset, environment, and type of marijuana you’re consuming can all have an effect your first high, creating either a positive or negative first impression, and this changes from person to person.

We made a breakdown of some of the most common reactions you might expect from your first-time consuming weed, ranging from the good, the bad, and the very common instance when nothing occurs.

The Good

If things go according to plan, your first time getting high should be pretty chill and you’ll have a feeling of ease and calmness. Getting high for the first time can be elevating, intense but mentally liberating depending on how good the experience is.

People who experience a good first high report feeling happy, relaxed, and being very aware of their surroundings, which include noting colors, sensations, and more. This is why high people can have deep conversations about the state of their shoes. And why they eat so voraciously.

The Bad

Bad first-time highs usually happen when you smoke too much on your first try or you’re in uncomfortable scenery, which fucks with the mind and induces paranoia. Since there’s no tolerance in people’s bodies, a hit or two should be enough to push them past their threshold (depending on how strong the weed is).

If someone is naturally anxious, smoking weed might also increase their odds of having a bad time, pushing them to worry over other people “knowing” that they’re high, experiencing dry mouth, and thirst.

In order to prevent a bad high, it’s important to moderate how much weed your smoke. For your first time smoking weed, you should ease yourself in with only a few drags, and once you feel yourself get high take a break and get used to the feeling before trying again. It’s also important to surround yourself with people you trust, with whom you won’t feel judged.

If a bad high occurs, remember that these are temporary and harmless, quickly resolved by a nap.

The Nothing

It’s also really common to not experience anything after consuming weed for the first time. This has a scientific explanation: experts believe that THC must interact with some people’s bodies several times in order to activate their endocannabinoid system. This is called a “sensitization period.” Once your body learns how to interact with THC, it’ll learn how to react accordingly.

We hope this helps.