Smoking Weed and Reading Books – Dos and Don’ts

While our love for reading and everything connected to this amazing activity knows no borders, we do need to mention right off the bat that Basmo does not encourage the use of any drugs, including but not limited to marijuana or cannabis, especially if the legislation in your country prohibits the possession or use of these substances. 

But we know just as well that certain countries do not prohibit the use of marijuana and smoking it or consuming it in other forms is often associated with reading by some people. 

Reading while high is an interesting experience, to say the least, and as long as you did your research in regards to the legislation in your location, smoking weed and reading books may turn out to be a pretty fun and rewarding way to spend an evening.

Can you read while high?

While the answer to this question is generally a resounding yes, there are certain exceptions. When it comes to the use of any kind of drugs, including marijuana, it’s important to take note of the fact that your mental abilities are always affected one way or another. 

That being said, certain drugs can give your mental abilities a boost to a certain extent. Let’s take cocaine for example, which is one of the best-known and most commonly used “uppers”. By uppers we refer to substances that give us an energy boost, increase heart rate, improve our mood, make us more confident, and – to a certain extent – help us concentrate better. They are also called stimulants and they generally improve our mental abilities temporarily. 

The reason for the enhanced mental abilities facilitated to a certain extent by the use of uppers has to do with the chemical processes that influence the speed of the electrical impulses generated by the brain. Uppers generally speed up the messages traveling to and from our central nervous system. Depending on each individual and the dosage used, they can have the undesired effect of hyping us too much, making it impossible for us to successfully concentrate on any one thing. On the list of uppers, we find cocaine, Adderall, methamphetamines, ecstasy, and nicotine among other things. 

On the other end of the spectrum, we find the downers, also known as depressants. Alcohol, Benzodiazepines, Fentanyl, Heroin, and Barbiturates make the list of the most commonly used depressants and their effect is the exact opposite of the one we expect to experience with uppers. They have a sedative effect generated by the fact that they produce a chemical imbalance in our brain that results in slowing down the messages that are transmitted and received by the CNS (central nervous system). 

Reading while high on downers can prove to be challenging because of this. We process the information slowly, we easily get drowsy or sleepy, and our mental abilities are usually decreased considerably. While their relaxing effect is what some people tend to choose them for, there is always a risk of getting too relaxed and unable to carry out the tasks we need to do.

As you have already probably noticed, weed was not included in any of the two categories above and that is not a mistake. The reason for that revolves around the fact that depending on the strain of marijuana we consume, it can lead to both of the effects presented above. Weed can be both an upper, a downer, and a hallucinogen. Reading while stoned can be a completely different experience depending on the actual strain we smoke or consume. While some strains have mental abilities enhancing effects, others tend to shut us down. Reading while stoned can go both ways and that is why being informed and acquiring our marijuana from legal, accredited, and trustworthy sources is absolutely essential.

Is reading while high good?

While the general consensus surrounding the use of any kind of drug is usually that being high is not exactly a healthy habit, there is no denying the fact that when done right, altering our state of mind with weed can have beneficial effects. 

That being said, another important thing to consider is exactly the separation between the types of drugs I mentioned above. Uppers, downers, and hallucinogens operate differently and affect our brains in rather peculiar ways. Hallucinogens are usually not a good choice when it comes to reading while high. They usually lead to pretty odd trips which tend to make reading impossible. 

Whether reading while high is good for you depends on a series of factors, and finding the perfect answer is going to rely entirely on you, your experience, and your goals. 

If you have a lot of important reading to get done within a short period of time, choosing an upper to keep you awake for longer, help you concentrate, and increase your ability to comprehend and memorize information may be a good idea. That is, of course, as long as you stay within the legal limitations of your location, and use the right dosage. Since weed is by far the most commonly used recreational drug out there, knowing which strain of marijuana to acquire and use is essential if you want to use it for a temporary energy boost. 

Here are some examples of Sativa strains (which are generally the better choice if you are looking for a clear mind) that can have a positive effect on your energy and concentration abilities while reading:

• Sour Diesel 
• Jack Herer
• Green Crack
• Lucid Blue
• Sour Breath
• Red Congolese 

If you’re looking to go the other way and use weed and reading to relieve stress, relax, and have a super chill evening, you might want to choose an Indica strain. They are known for the mellowing effect, helping the consumer relieve stress and anxiety symptoms, and usually ensuring a good night’s sleep. Here are some of the best Indica strains you can choose if you’re looking for a relaxing effect:

• Katsu Kush
• Caramel Kona Coffee Kush
• RudeBoi OG
• Strawberry Snow Cone
• Gigabud

As we all know, reading has several important benefits, both for our mental and physical health. One of the most notable and important considering how stressful and hectic our day-to-day lives are nowadays is reading’s ability to help us relax, reduce stress, and alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms. If we take into account that weed, regardless of the way it is consumed, has similar effects can only lead us to the conclusion that reading while high can be an extremely relaxing activity. If that is what you are looking for, reading while stoned can be a great experience for you. 

Is reading while high fun?

Yes, reading while high can definitely be fun. It depends on what drugs you use and what you read though. Since weed is the most popular choice, and one of the few that are actually legal in certain places of the world, we will stick to explaining how it affects your reading habits and the experience. 

Depending on your mood, the strain you use, and the book you are reading, the experience can go both ways. Weed can change your mood, that is clearly true, but as a rule of thumb, it generally enhances some of the emotions you are already experiencing more than it switches your mood to 180 degrees. If you’re having a bad day and decide to smoke a downer while reading a sad book, chances are you’ll be in tears by the time the weed effects start wearing off. That is not necessarily a bad thing, since crying has a series of benefits, but it might not be what you are looking to experience.

Reading while high can be fun, but it depends a lot on the book you decide to read, the strain you decide to smoke, and how much you smoke. 

What are the best things to read while high?

Without any admission of guilt, some of the most avid and experienced readers we discussed this with stand firmly behind the statement that the best things you can read while high are fiction/fantasy books. Weed is known for providing a boost for our creativity and imagination among other things. Of course, this is only true for certain strains and certain people. If you’re looking to enhance your creativity and imagination through the use of cannabis products, you have a pretty long trial and error process ahead of you. 

But since the chemistry in our brains changes and the speed of the electrical impulses between our neurons is altered one way or another, that means that the way we absorb information is also quite different when under the influence. We are likely to be able to better visualize the things we read, which can be extremely exciting when reading a fantasy book with a positive outcome, but somewhat unpleasant if we choose a thriller or horror book. 

Not only that, but our brain is also prone to making unexpected connections when reading while high. We may notice things that we normally wouldn’t, come to conclusions that require a level of thinking outside the box we don’t generally possess when sober, and even understand the books at a deeper level than we would normally expect. 

We are likely to find joy and amusement in surprising stories, in wording that would normally not even catch our eye, and be fascinated by things we would generally not even pay that much attention to.

Reading while high can provide us a deeper, more entertaining experience, as long as we remember to make informed choices and stick to the letter of the law.

What are the best books to read while high?

Since I already mentioned that the experience of reading while high depends a lot on what we actually read, let me give you a couple of examples of books that you are likely to find especially awesome if you read them under the (right) influence.

• The Harry Potter series
• The Lord of the Rings series
• The 100 series
• The Handmaid’s Tale
• The Secret Life of Plants
• 1984
• Fight CLub
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
• The Illuminatus! Trilogy
• The Doors of Perception

Of course, the list can go on and on, but these are generally the most popular titles among readers who enjoy reading while high. 

Since we love reading and we are dedicated to helping all readers regardless of their experience or general reading preferences, our reading tracking app can provide you with a lot of very useful features.

For example, using the reading lists feature can help you separate the books you want to read while high from the titles you should be reading sober. You can create as many reading lists as you want, and they can be customized, edited, and even personalized quite easily.

On top of this, if you’re new to the experience of reading while stoned, you may benefit from something that helps you keep your emotions in check. If you’re experimenting with different genres or strains, it’s important to take note of how each reading session makes you feel so you can adjust the parameters in the future.

Final thoughts on reading high

Reading while high can be an enlightening experience as long as you make a series of correct choices. Basmo is here to support you throughout the entire process, regardless of your preference in books and weed.

People vector created by upklyak – www.freepik.com