Marijuana is one of the most popular drugs in the nation. This could be due to the glorification of the drug on TV and movies or how often folks sing about it. For some reason, it’s the drug most people try at some point in their lives.
A problem can develop with heavy marijuana use. When a loved one develops a substance use disorder linked to this drug, a lot can go wrong in the person’s life. If you suspect that a loved one has a marijuana use disorder, one thing to do is learn how to tell if he or she is high.
Physical Clues Someone Is High on Weed
Many people look to movies and television to figure this out. While some movies and shows have shown realistic portrayals of marijuana usage, the actors are just acting.
The following are some physical manifestations you may notice if someone’s using marijuana:
- Marijuana usually irritates the user’s eyes. This means a person might have red eyes after using marijuana.
- Another obvious physical manifestation is poor muscle coordination. Users won’t be able to adapt to their surroundings quickly.
- Most people catch on to things quickly, but someone who is high is usually slower to respond. It might take a while for the person to understand what you’re saying.
- A high person is going to get hungry sooner or later. This drug seems to make people hungrier than normal, so keep a lookout for that.
- Sometimes, you can smell marijuana on the user if it’s been smoked. You might notice a skunk-like smell mixed with an earthy smell.
While there are definite physical changes a person might go through when high, you might also notice a few behavioral changes. The following are some behavioral cues that might indicate marijuana use:
- The user may experience varying degrees of panic; sometimes, the reason might seem rational but usually not.
- Some folks who consume marijuana feel scared, which could lead to anxiety episodes.
- A few users act less shy. If you know the individual well enough, you might notice a new outgoing attitude around others.
- A high person might laugh uncontrollably at nothing or at mildly comical things.
- Forgetfulness is another behavioral change someone might have when high. Sometimes, users might forget something they just said.
If you notice any of these indication, the person may be high, but there is more to consider to confirm the possibility.
Methods of Consumption
Knowing if someone is high goes beyond the physical signs that a user might display. If a person smokes the substance, you’ll probably smell it, but there are various ways someone might consume marijuana. People can choose edibles like brownies, cookies, and even candy. Other folks use tinctures, and a few prefer to drink weed mixed as a tea.
If you know the various methods of marijuana consumption, you’ll have a higher chance of figuring out if someone is high.
Signs of Consumption
At times, people want to confirm that a loved one is getting high when they suspect chronic marijuana use. A lot of people who get help for their loved ones through Granite Recovery Center start with nothing more than a suspicion of substance abuse.
The problem is that suspicion isn’t evidence. This is the reason you need to confirm your suspicion before you move on to the next step in this fight against marijuana use. To do that, you can look for signs of consumption.
Looking through someone’s stuff is going to feel like an invasion of privacy, and that’s because it is. Breaking this social code is something you’re going to have to come to terms with before you start your search.
Some things you’re going to be looking for are pretty popular. You might have seen these in countless movies or shows. The following are examples of marijuana paraphernalia:
- You might fight some rolling papers. Sometimes, these are white in appearance, and other times, they are brown. Most of the time, the papers look thin. They could be alone or in a small box filled with many rolling papers.
- People sometimes use pipes to smoke marijuana, so you might find that as well. These are sometimes made out of glass, but there are also pipes made out of materials like wood.
- Every so often, a person will use cigar papers instead of rolling papers. The cigars will be empty because the user wants to stuff these papers with marijuana later on.
- People can use e-cigarettes to smoke weed.
- Some users love to use bongs. These can be large, so they should be easy to find.
If you’re going to be looking through a loved one’s belongings, make sure you have enough time to do so. You don’t want to get caught red handed.
You should also put everything back the way it was. The best way to do this is to just put things back as you move them so that you don’t forget the location and arrangement of the possessions before you searched them.
To cut down on the amount of time you spend looking through a loved one’s room, you might want to take note of the following tips. Our team of experienced staffers at Granite Recovery Center has talked to enough marijuana users to know the most common hiding places. Focus on the following areas when you look:
- People sometimes carve out a little space on top of their doors. Reach up there, and feel to see if you find something suspicious.
- Users know that others might, at some point look, look for their drugs, so they stash the paraphernalia in old drug packages. You might think it’s just a little pain medication, but it could be something else entirely.
- Every so often, users carve out a hole in a soda can on the bottom to hide stuff there. To you, it’ll look like an unopened soda can, so you might overlook it, but you should check it out.
- If the user has a fish tank, he or she won’t expect you to look under it. That’s another place where users might stash their marijuana-related materials.
- A clever marijuana user might remove the lining of a regular speaker and hide all of the supplies there, thinking you’ll never think to look.
- If a loved one has a dropped ceiling in his or her room, then that might be a good hiding place.
- This one might be dangerous, but some users hide their stuff in a wall outlet. Try to be careful if you’re going to look in this electrical box.
- A few users with birdhouses may use the roof’s structure to hide their marijuana-related products.
- You’re going to want to look through furniture. Users that we’ve talked to hide their stashes between slats or sometimes in the upholstery itself.
If you notice a lot of brownie or cookie wrappers in a person’s room that have a strange scent, then that may be evidence of use. If you notice strange liquids or herbs in a loved one’s room, hidden away from everyone, then be wary. People don’t usually hide things if there’s no issue.
A few folks who’ve been through our addiction treatment have shared another secret: If they do smoke the substance, they try to hide the smell. They do this in various ways, like using incense or wearing a lot of perfume or cologne.
Some users like to smoke by a vent or an opened window to hide the smell. If you happen to notice a loved one likes to sit near these places for no apparent reason or if he or she suddenly starts using incense, it might be time to start looking for the aforementioned signs.
Hopefully, you don’t find anything at all during your search. If you find paraphernalia related to marijuana and feel your loved one might have a problem with heavy marijuana use, you can give us a call. We work with folks who worry about their loved ones. No one wants to find out that a loved one is dealing with a substance use disorder, but it’s better to know now.
We can help you learn more about signs so that you’re better prepared. We’ve been working with chronic marijuana users for some time, and we know that people can hide a disorder from loved ones because loved ones didn’t know what to look for.
Once you know your loved one may have a problem, you can move on to the next step. If you do this right, we’ll be able to see your loved one walk through our doors. This can’t be done without evidence-based treatment because the disorder takes a hold of you.
Intervention for Marijuana Use Disorder
If you confirm a substance use disorder, you may want to create an intervention plan where you can confront a loved one safely. You have to learn how to listen and give your loved one a chance to admit he or she needs help.
Consider the following tips if you’re going to stage an intervention:
- It’s important that you stay as calm as possible. Keep your emotions in check because anger won’t help, and your feelings could escalate the confrontation.
- Write a script of everything you want to say, and practice it. The more prepared you are, the better your message will be. While you can’t predict your loved one’s reaction, the script can at least keep you focused.
- Be sure to choose the right moment. Don’t do this if you know your loved one just got in trouble at work or just went through a stressful situation. You want to find a moment when everyone is calm.
- Try to explain the dangers of heavy marijuana use. This shows that you care, and it might enlighten your loved one. For example, heavy weed smokers seem to have trouble remembering things and have trouble learning, and that’s just a few of the effects.
An intervention may not yield the results you want. You should know it can’t reverse a substance use disorder. This is going to take some time. What you’re doing right now is taking that first step.
Making your loved one aware that the problem isn’t hidden anymore could convince them to seek help. You want to have our number handy, just in case you’re able to convince your loved one to call us.
Now, you know how to figure out if someone is high. You also know more about confirming marijuana use. If you ever suspect a friend or family member of a marijuana use disorder, give Granite Recovery Center a call.
