Smoking pot or weed has its own set of thrills. You feel like you are in another world, free from responsibilities of the world; high, high and higher. Smoker’s heaven, marijuana, is a type that is said to be tried by every 1 out of 3 people in America if we go by the statistics derived from certain research. So, does coughing make you higher? What does marijuana contain that makes you feel high? The active ingredient called THC, found in the plant, is the one factor responsible for making you feel high and light-headed, deeply affecting the way your body functions. Let us look through the other variables as well.

Does Coughing Really Make You Higher?

Yeah, it's true that coughing whilst inhaling marijuana makes you feel higher. Let us find out the truth in this statement.

Coughing Makes You Lightheaded

For first-timers in the world of smoking, coughing is nothing new. But, many experienced pot-inhalers also prefer to cough after taking up a huge hit. Why? They do that to feel lighter than they already are. So, what is the science behind light-headedness and coughing? If were to go by the science text-books, while coughing, our muscles tend to force oxygen out of our body and as coughing fits last long, the complete intake of oxygen in the body will be less. Thus, the minor oxygen deprivation in the body makes one feel light-headed. This is the first answer to the question "Does coughing make you higher?"

Larger Lung Surface Is Exposed to the Smoke

Another interesting factor involving coughing and getter higher is that with our lungs getting filled with smoke, the cough takes up the surface area of the lung tissues. Increased surface area of the lung means the proactive components like THC of cannabis can reach everywhere inside it. More THC content in the blood and alveoli mean getting higher than usual. So, an inference can be drawn that coughing simply acts as a catalyst in these situations. 

Why Do You Cough When You Smoking Weed?

Why do we cough at all? What is the reason behind all those choked up feelings or the prolonged fits? Referring to various researches done on the subject, the biggest relation is derived from the "HBT" or held-breath-time. If we were to remove the volume smoked, a longer HBT in a person means he will cough harder. Also, people who prefer taking a short or limited amount of joints, hardly break into a cough when compared to the ones who like the thrill in taking long shots. Since you get a positive answer to "does coughing make you higher" you can try cough to make marijuana more enjoyable, but be careful and never overdo it.

Curb Your Intake for Its Possible Side Effects

It goes without saying that smoking, however reliving it may feel, is not a good practice. This addictive habit has proved to divert, distract, and even kill people. Let’s have a look on the side effects involving the higher dosage of marijuana.

Short-Term Effect

There can be many short term effects related to a weed overdose including panic, anxiety, delusion, uncoordinated movements, sensory distortion, a fall in reaction time, sudden depression after the "high" moment and higher risk of cardiac arrest.

Long-Term Effect

Marijuana frequent-users can experience the following effects which can drive them crazy even after a point of time.

• Paranoia: Listed as the topmost adverse effects of habitual marijuana intake, the feeling of paranoia is a resultant of the cannabis’ attack on the part of the brain that triggers fear in a person. They get sudden panic attacks which are sometimes very hard to control, especially after a good dose of weed. Does coughing make you higher? It does but you need to curb your intake, else you may go through these terrible symptoms.
• Depression: Another long-lasting side effect of marijuana. Ironically, people who take marijuana claim to be consuming them for minimizing their loneliness, and for the feeling of sudden high. But, sadly, its increased intake only paves way for bouts of depression that too for a longer period of time.
• Memory Loss: It has been found out that continuous usage of marijuana interferes with the proper functioning of brain cells, thus resulting in holes in short-term memory. You tend to forget things more often than not.
• Lowering IQ: Even though there aren’t many detailed research done on the topic, a link between lowering of IQ with respect to the usage of marijuana has been noticed. A study shares that the IQ drop can be as high as 8 points but then again, not enough evidence has come into lime-light.
• Lung Issues: Heavy intake of marijuana has indicated to deposition of tar in the lungs, which can kill the alveoli and hamper the whole respiratory process. Also, the smoke in the blood stream can cause irritability, thus leading to major problems like chronic bronchitis and many other diseases.
• Addiction: It goes without saying that frequent intake of marijuana can lead to heavy addiction and dependence on the said material. Many addicts are seen to get violent when not provided with their needs, and sometimes they steal, or worse, kill for the sake of their drugs.