Fact Checked by Doctor NameWhat is being Stoned?
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Being stoned, also known as being baked, is when cannabis induces pleasure, relaxation, temporal distortion, sensory augmentation, and mental and bodily changes.
THC and other cannabinoids stimulate the endocannabinoid system.
A History of Getting Stoned
Cannabis has been used psychoactively for thousands of years, yet slang has changed.
The phrase “stoned” came from early 20th-century jazz in the 1930s. It meant the daze caused by strong marijuana.
The term grew in use during the countercultural movements of the 1960s, where expanding cannabis consumption and shifting attitudes went hand-in-hand with protests of mainstream society and politics. Embracing being stoned was linked to rejecting sobriety norms.
As cannabis use spread, so did associated slang like stoned, high, baked, blazed, fried, and blunted.
Regional dialects emerged with similar meanings. Getting stoned became deeply rooted in cannabis culture and media portrayals, sometimes problematically equated with being lazy, unmotivated, or lacking ambition.
But the prevalence speaks to the potent mental impacts.
The experience of feeling stoned or high is highly subjective, but commonly described effects include:
- Relaxation reduced anxiety
- Euphoria, mood lift
- Enhanced senses – colors, textures, and flavors seem more vibrant
- The shift in perception of time and space
- Increased introspection and new perspectives
- Heaviness in the body, loss of tension
- Giggliness, munchies, general silliness
Is Getting Stoned the Same as Getting High?
The terms “getting stoned” and “getting high” are largely interchangeable in cannabis vernacular. However, some note subtle differences:
- Stoned implies being strongly affected to an almost immobilized degree, whereas high has lighter connotations.
- High may refer to the peak effects, while stoned describes the longer overall duration.
- Stoned has a more recreational sense, while high can simply mean medicated.
But there is heavy overlap. Both indicate THC intoxication – altered consciousness, distorted perception and disconnect from baseline sobriety.
With vastly different tolerances and responses to cannabis among consumers, what constitutes stoned vs. high is relative. But the shorthand remains useful for conveying the extraordinary effects of cannabis.
