Even though weed is legal in California for both medicinal and recreational purposes, you can still get arrested for being high while engaging in certain acts. Most notably, it is illegal for someone to be high on cannabis while operating a motor vehicle. With this in mind, you may want to know how long it takes to sober up from weed and if there are ways to sober up faster.
The Duration of Your High
Being able to get sober as quickly as possible can prevent you from committing any crimes and potentially harming yourself and others. Of course, a Los Angeles DUI attorney can help you after the fact, but it is best to avoid ever getting to that point. How long it takes to sober up from marijuana depends on several different factors. These factors include:
- How you get high (by smoking or eating the product)
- The amount of THC you consume
- How often you partake in marijuana use
- Your age, sex, and body weight
Weed can affect everyone differently. How long your high lasts and how long it takes to get sober are not the same for everyone, so there is no definitive answer to those questions. However, in most cases, the more THC you have in your system, the longer your high will last and the more time it will take to get sober.
Smoking Weed vs. Consumption
According to MedicalNewsToday, smoking weed from a bong or a blunt will make you high for around 1-3 hours, with the peak coming at the 10-minute mark. While consuming cannabis through an edible will make you high for approximately 2-4 hours, the effects can last for a full day. Using a dab or vape pen for marijuana will make you high for 1-3 hours, although some users report remaining high for 24 hours, especially if the product they use has a high THC concentration.
Can You Sober Up Faster?
When people are no longer having fun, they want the effects of the high, like the enhanced sensory perceptions and warped sense of time and attention, to subside. Some people want the effects to disappear if they are at risk of getting into legal trouble for being high. While you may try any number of weird methods to sober up faster, there is no magic remedy to rid you of your high and its effects immediately.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that time is on your side. Just waiting it out and telling yourself that you will be feeling normal again within a couple of hours is the best thing you can do to keep your mind at ease. Good planning can allow you to enjoy marijuana and its pleasant effects with while leaving enough time to completely sober up before completing an important task.
Home Remedies to Sober Up Faster
According to Healthline, some at-home remedies have made some people sober up faster, but there is no scientific research to back this up. These remedies include:
- Taking a nap
- Eating black pepper
- Eating pine nuts
- Eating a lemon peel
- Trying some CBD
The caryophyllene compound found in black peppers could actually increase the sedative effects of THC, causing you to calm down and have the high wear off. The pinene compound found in pine nuts can also increase the soothing effects of THC to calm you down while improving your clarity, whereas lemon peels have compounds that can counteract the psychoactive effects of marijuana.
THC causes you to get high from cannabis, while CBD causes you to feel calm and relaxed, so intaking more CBD can dull your high.
Tips and Tricks to Help with the High Effects
Getting high may not always produce the desired effects. In fact, you could end up feeling a lot worse and wishing that you had not smoked a bowl or eaten an edible to begin with. These undesirable effects include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Panic
- Paranoia
- Impaired judgment and coordination
- Hallucinations and delusions
These effects, especially anxiety and stress, are only heightened when you know you are performing an illegal act by being high when you are not supposed to, like driving a car. There are a few different remedies to help alleviate these feelings. Yet, these remedies will not make you sober up faster, only help calm your nerves.
Drinking water helps keep you hydrated, which helps your body process the THC in your bloodstream. Do not drink alcohol because that can increase the amount of THC in your system, which will only prolong your high and anxiety.
Finding a distraction can help take your mind off the undesirable effects you are experiencing. Good distractions include listening to music, watching a movie or tv show, chatting with your friends or family, taking a walk, or taking a cold shower.
Drug Testing Marijuana in Your System
Although being high from marijuana does not last more than a few hours to as long as a day, THC can remain in your body for a much longer amount of time. According to the American Addiction Centers (AAC), THC can be found in a hair sample for as long as 90 days after your last usage. Most drug tests administered by police or health clinics will use either urine, saliva, or blood samples.
THC can stay in your blood for 12 hours, saliva for one day, and urine for 30 days. This means that it would be wise to avoid certain actions soon after getting high on marijuana.
Suppose you are completely sober and driving your car. If a police officer arrests you on suspicion of DUI and administers a urine drug test, your results could show high levels of THC still in your system from smoking weed three weeks prior to your arrest.
Contact an Attorney Today
A Los Angeles DUI lawyer from the Simmrin Law Group can help uphold your constitutional rights and fight to clear your name if you have been charged with any sort of marijuana-related crime. Reach out today and receive a free and confidential case evaluation.
