So one thing that we hear a lot about in various types of media that involve weed is the contact high. The contact high seems to exist in a number of forms like actually getting high from someone else smoking or failing drug tests from being around people smoking weed. It’s one of those things that sounds very silly and plausible at the same time which is probably why so many people both do and don’t believe it’s a thing. That’s why I’m here, I did a bunch of research so that you don’t have to! Let’s have a look at what is and what isn’t true when it comes to the infamous contact high.
What Is A Contact High
When we talk about a contact high we could mean a few different things as I mentioned. The classic contact high is experiencing the actual effects of the weed when sitting near someone who is smoking. Maybe someone would start experiencing the anxiety of the smoker or will start finding everything funny because the smoker is. The main question is whether or not this is because of an actual high. There is a phenomenon in humanity that happens semi-often called collective hysteria. This is the idea that a group of people experience the exact same hysteria or panic at the same time for no identifiable reason. It is very possible that rather than the non-smoker getting actually high that their animal brain is just mimicking what the other person is experiencing. This is just one possibility of course perhaps inhaling second-hand smoke could get someone high. Well, we can have a look at all of that in the next neatly titled section, let’s go!
How Would Contact Highs Work?
So one argument goes off the fact that we know cigarette smoke has second-hand effects for those who are around it enough. There is plenty of evidence to show that people who are regularly exposed to cigarette smoke can experience lung and heart issues. However, that to me just suggests that second-hand cannabis smoke could be bad for the non-smoker, but not that it can get them high.
The other idea is that cannabis won’t give a contact high if you’re just sitting with someone smoking or if you are in the same general room as it. You would likely need to be in a room that’s being completely hot-boxed. Your entire air supply would need to be full of weed smoke. In this instance, it is thought that there is a possibility that someone could get a contact high from second-hand weed smoke.
Can Contact Highs Affect Drug Tests?
This is the lesser talked about potential issue with contact highs, whether it would give you a positive for weed in a drug test even if you don’t smoke. This is one aspect of the contact high that we do know a little more about because there has been significantly more testing. We have found that a small amount of THC will still be in the exhaled smoke, but just a tiny bit. This is why we aren’t sure that you can get stoned just by sitting next to someone who is stoned. However, we have found that in certain circumstances you can inhale enough THC to fail a drug test. Just like you won’t get stoned just sitting next to a smoker, you also won’t get enough THC in your system to fail a drug test. As I said before if you put yourself in a room where a full hotbox is happening, no ventilation and several people smoking then there is a chance that you would fail any upcoming drug tests. If you do get enough passive THC in your system it can stay in there for a while. It’s possible that it will stay in your saliva, urine, and any other fluids you might have on your person for about a month. That statistic is based on heavy smokers though so if you have got a little THC in your body second-hand it’s more likely to be like a few days. Fun fact, hair can hold weed for up to three months! It’s not relevant but it is a fun fact.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Contact High?
If you do manage to somehow get the kind of contact high that makes you…well…actually high you can expect some of the following symptoms.
Brain Fog – You may start to feel a bit like there is a fogginess around your brain that makes things seem a little far away or distant. This might also mean you struggle to process information or that there is a slight delay.
Anxiety – You probably know what anxiety is so I’m not sure why I’m explaining it. You might experience anxiety.
Giggles – If you suddenly find everything hilarious even though it’s just the fact that the corner of the carpet is flipped up, you might be high.
Lethargy – The more likely one is that you’ll just get super sleepy out of nowhere.
If you experience any of these effects and you’re unhappy about it the best thing to do is leave the room, get a big glass of water and go outside for a bit. Since you’re not really high it should wear off pretty quickly.
Wait, So Are Contact Highs Possible?
The short answer is not really. The research I’ve done has mostly pointed to the placebo theory. Because you are sitting with someone who is acting a certain way you may just be susceptible to thinking you’re also experiencing those effects. This is especially likely if the person you’re with is very verbally or physically descriptive about their experience. This is probably the most common “contact high”. However, yes it is possible to take on enough THC to fail a drug test but you would have to be in a tiny room with a cloud of smoke so thick you can’t actually see anything. So if you’re worried about drug tests maybe just don’t do that.
Written by Tasha Porritt
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