{"id":45081,"date":"2019-04-16T15:09:15","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T15:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/can-you-get-high-from-snorting-weed\/"},"modified":"2019-04-16T15:09:15","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T15:09:15","slug":"can-you-get-high-from-snorting-weed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/culture\/can-you-get-high-from-snorting-weed\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Get High From Snorting Weed?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few years ago, award-winning actor and director Morgan Freeman touted the benefits of medical marijuana. \u201cHow do I take it?\u201d he told The Daily Beast<\/em><\/u><\/a>. \u201cHowever it comes! I\u2019ll eat it, drink it, smoke it, snort it!\u201d<\/p>\n

We all know we can eat, drink, and smoke weed. But can we snort it?<\/p>\n

The short answer is yes. We can snort just about anything we can fit into our noses. One cannabis company already got the leg-up by offering a CBD nasal spray<\/u><\/a>. Powdered weed, which is emulsified by binding cannabinoids to starches<\/a>, can be snorted, too.<\/p>\n

But can snorting weed actually get anyone high<\/em>?<\/p>\n

According to Brad Bogus, the VP of marketing at the data firm Confident Cannabis<\/u><\/a>, yes, you can. If it\u2019s got THC content. <\/p>\n

Bogus recounted a story from 2017\u2019s New West Summit, where one prominent industry leader was due to give a speech. While buzzed on booze, she snorted a couple lines of THC isolate<\/u><\/a>, or pure THC crystals, which was handed out to attendees in the same little plastic bags one would find when scoring ketamine or coke.<\/p>\n

\"1555439016856_pastedimage0(3).png\"<\/p>\n

Photo of the THC isolate at New West Summit 2017<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cShe was falling all over herself, completely incoherent and babbly. She lost her wallet and her phone,\u201d Bogus told MERRY JANE. \u201cFriends had to take her back to her hotel and request a ton of wake up calls for her so she would make her appearance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was THC isolate, on top of alcohol,\u201d Bogus continued, \u201cbut the sloppiness was totally a result of snorting two lines of isolate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman, whose identity was kept confidential, eventually recovered from snorting THC and went on to deliver a magnificent speech, he said.<\/p>\n

\"1555438844770_iStock-636329192.jpg\"<\/p>\n

How Is This Even Possible?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

How could crystallized weed get someone high, though? <\/p>\n

According to Jessie Gill, RN, the founder of Marijuana Mommy<\/u><\/a>, a medical cannabis information website, cannabinoids like THC and CBD can be absorbed through the nasal lining, \u201cjust like they are absorbed when taken under the tongue.\u201d Because the nasal passages are easily irritated, she strongly recommended never snorting anything, even weed.<\/p>\n

But not all weed products are created equal. The bioavailability<\/u><\/a> of a snorted cannabinoid depends on the product\u2019s design. For example, snorting a line of pure kief won\u2019t get anyone high, but it will burn the sinuses. <\/p>\n

With isolates, the bioavailability through the nose remains low because cannabinoids don\u2019t dissolve in water, Gill said. Mucous membranes lining the nasal passages are mostly made of water, which should repel substances like THC or CBD. It\u2019s possible no one truly feels the effects of weed through their nose, but are instead feeling it after swallowing the sinus drip in the back of the throat.<\/p>\n

However, Gill noted that because isolates are highly concentrated, \u201cit\u2019s easy to over-consume,\u201d especially in CBD\u2019s case. \u201cConsuming high doses of CBD via any method can lead to overstimulation, which some people may interpret as a \u2018buzz.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"1555439055105_Hemp-CBD-Isolate-CBD-Crystals.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Above: Pure CBD isolate<\/em><\/p>\n

CBD: THC\u2019s Chillaxed Cousin<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Wait a second, CBD can overstimulate the brain? CBD doesn\u2019t get anyone high, though, right? That\u2019s the mantra, anyway.<\/p>\n

It started as a whisper at the fringes of medical science<\/u><\/a>, amplified over the years by a swelling chorus of cannabis activists, patients, and advocates. Then the media<\/u><\/a> began singing the same tune, and before we knew it, CBD popped up in drugstores<\/u><\/a> and suburban kitchen cabinets<\/u><\/a>, now infused into everything from hummus<\/u><\/a> to underarm deodorant<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

But some say snorting this supposed wonder drug \u2014 which offers the plant\u2019s medicinal benefits and none of its side effects \u2014 can, indeed, get them a little buzzed.<\/p>\n

But only a little.<\/p>\n

Reddit is filled with personal accounts<\/u><\/a> of people claiming they felt something <\/em>after snorting CBD isolates. Unfortunately, Reddit users are anonymous, and many of them are thirsty for upvotes, making their claims questionable.<\/p>\n

So, we talked to some people who weren\u2019t hiding behind handles. <\/p>\n

Rudy Sta Ana, the founder of Cannabis Catered Events<\/u><\/a>, is a fusion weed chef based in California. He told MERRY JANE he\u2019s snorted CBD twice in his life. <\/p>\n

The first time happened after a dare. When he did it the second time, it was to prove to someone he\u2019d done it before.<\/p>\n

The effects, Sta Ana said, were immediate. \u201cIt felt like a euphoric boost and just made me feel great. It didn’t last very long, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeremiah Baca, the owner of Phyto Therapeutic<\/u><\/a>, an alternative healing center in Colorado, shared a similar account, although he mixed his CBD isolate with cacao powder<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe effects were energizing and mood elevating,\u201d Baca said. \u201cAnd for someone with anxiety and depression, this is an application for quick relief. The effects were noticeable for about two to four hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Sta Ana insufflated CBD isolate for laughs, Baca did it as a wellness experiment, certain that the cannabinoid could absorb through the \u201cthin walls of the nasal tissues\u201d rich with tiny blood vessels.<\/p>\n

Both men claimed they experienced no side effects.<\/p>\n

\"1555438911281_UT8a5LLXMJXXXagOFbXF.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Above: 99.9% Pure CBD Powder\/Crystal<\/em><\/p>\n

How CBD Could, Potentially, Get People Buzzed<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Cannabinoids bind to cell proteins called cannabinoid, or CB, receptors. CB receptors act as locks on a cell, and cannabinoids essentially unlock them to trigger cell signaling. One of these receptors, CB1, mainly resides in the nervous system. Another receptor, CB2, can be found in the spleen and on immune cells.<\/p>\n

THC, the part of weed that gets people stoned, binds tighter to CB1 receptors in the brain than it does to CB2 receptors in the immune system. This may be why THC couch-locks tokers and CBD doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

However, cannabinoid science is a young field<\/u><\/a>. There are still a ton of kinks to work out.<\/p>\n

Karl Young, the founder and lead chemist at Wesparklabs<\/u><\/a>, believes CBD isn\u2019t as sobering, or safe, as people think it is. He makes a product to treat cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome<\/u><\/a>, a vomiting illness he said is caused by a toxic build-up of CBD in the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cCBD spikes estrogen by suppressing\u201d enzymes<\/u><\/a> that break down estrogen and dopamine, he said. \u201cIf you suppress the ability to clear estrogen and dopamine, which is part of why people love CBD so much, you also suppress testosterone and serotonin from correct functionality.\u201d<\/p>\n

The result of snorting CBD isolate, according to Young, is a brief high that lightly resembles heroin or cocaine, two drugs that wreak havoc<\/u><\/a> on the brain\u2019s serotonin and dopamine networks. Prolonged CBD toxicity, he said, can lead to depression, liver failure, or suicidal thoughts<\/u><\/a>, the same side effects seen with harder street drugs and opioids.<\/p>\n

Young\u2019s dopamine hypothesis is an outlier, as most scientists believe CBD can\u2019t get anyone high.<\/p>\n

\u201cCannabinoids have not been shown to appreciably affect hormone levels or dopamine signaling,\u201d countered Marco Troiani, an organic chemist and CEO of Digamma Consulting<\/u><\/a>. \u201cYou might feel \u2018crazy\u2019\u201d after snorting CBD, \u201cbut that\u2019s just because you put some junk up your nose that isn’t dissolving, and your nose\u2019s mucous membrane isn’t happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Troiani did offer one explanation for CBD causing a buzz, regardless of consumption method, though he wasn\u2019t convinced of his own proposal.<\/p>\n

CBD blocks an enzyme, fatty acid amide hydrolase or FAAH<\/u><\/a>, which breaks down the body\u2019s natural cannabinoids, anandamide and 2-AG. Studies show<\/u><\/a> anandamide may share the same properties as THC, including the high.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth THC and CBD end up activating the CB1 receptor,\u201d Troiani entertained. \u201cTHC does it directly, CBD does it through boosting our natural endocannabinoid, anandamide.\u201d In other words, CBD could get someone buzzed in a roundabout way by causing a buildup of anandamide in the brain.<\/p>\n

\"1555439340786_download(49).jpeg\"<\/p>\n

The Possibility of Pure Placebo<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. Adam Winstock, a psychiatrist and addiction specialist based in the UK, is also the founder of the Global Drug Survey<\/u><\/a>. He said he\u2019s never heard of anyone snorting cannabinoids, and he believes any claims of it causing a high, especially with CBD, are pure placebo.<\/p>\n

In an email to MERRY JANE, Winstock wrote that some people may believe they\u2019re catching a buzz from sniffing weed when all they\u2019ve really done is suppressed some nagging symptoms such as anxiety, stress, or discomfort.<\/p>\n

\u201cA possible reduction in the discomfort of the thing you were trying to make better could be perceived as relief,\u201d he wrote, \u201cbut I don\u2019t think it could be perceived as a high.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winstock also suggested the \u201cinstrumental drug-seeking effect\u201d could be at work. \u201cPeople who are used to managing a stress by snorting a drug might get that expected effect\u201d from snorting nasally inert weed products as well, he wrote.<\/p>\n

Because so little research has been done on cannabis, or crystallized weed in particular, Winstock urged folks to remain skeptical<\/u><\/a>, regardless of whether the alleged snorting-weed high is placebo or real.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s lots of money out there, so I would be suspicious of every claim,\u201d he cautioned. \u201cThe potential for profit can distort the truth and the stories people share.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow Randy Robinson on <\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n