Effect of Cannabis use on hearing

[Brian Hall]

There are only negatives with chronic cannabis use.

Not true for me. I indulged a lot, almost every day from 16 until 34. I was a jock (football and track), played sax in HS band and was a stoner, while making straight A's in school and college. Was president of the science club and made all conference in football.

I dropped out of college (big waste of time) after 1.5 years to start making money as a software programmer / designer (self taught) while playing in various mostly heavy metal bands (bass, guitar, sax, keyboards, violin, some vocals, all self taught). I comfortably retired at 62 and now I use edibles whenever I'm in the mood. I also like good Scotch and Brandy.

There were no negative effects for me other than what I mentioned in the previous post about making even bad music sound good. Stopping was a negative effect for me because my creativity suffered.

I had to stop when I was 34 because I became subject to random drug tests since I was working with/creating software that had very high security requirements. Fortunately that BS ended when I retired.

Edited to add: I had a full time job from 15 until 62. First job was a dishwasher at a restaurant making $1.25 an hour. Cannabis never affected my drive to succeed. I believe it actually helped me. I believe it enhances who you already are and relaxes mental blocks that slow down creativity.

 

[drewdawg999]

Not true for me. I indulged a lot, almost every day from 16 until 34. I was a jock (football and track), played sax in HS band and was a stoner, while making straight A's in school and college. Was president of the science club and made all conference in football.

I'm still smoking after all these years. I love it. I love listening to music whilst smoking, love playing piano and guitar high. Also with an indica and the body high, working out and exercising is a delight.

I dropped out of college (big waste of time) after 1.5 years to start making money as a software programmer / designer (self taught) while playing in various mostly heavy metal bands (bass, guitar, sax, keyboards, violin, some vocals, all self taught). I comfortably retired at 62 and now I use edibles whenever I'm in the mood. I also like good Scotch and Brandy.

I agree college is a huge waste of time. Wanted to drop out of engineering school and go to Berklee for music. Parents wouldn't let me. Used to drink like a fish but decided to quit along with cigarettes. Miss the red wine with meals very much, along with whiskey on the rocks. Toking still as it eases my mind and body.

There were no negative effects for me other than what I mentioned in the previous post about making even bad music sound good. Stopping was a negative effect for me because my creativity suffered.

My standards are way lower stoned, so more popular music is tolerable, even enjoyable. I see that as a good thing since being a musician is difficult, so we should take it easy on them, even Taylor Swift.

Edited to add: I had a full time job from 15 until 62. First job was a dishwasher at a restaurant making $1.25 an hour. Cannabis never affected my drive to succeed. I believe it actually helped me. I believe it enhances who you already are and relaxes mental blocks that slow down creativity.

I believe it helps as well, relaxing the mind so bright ideas are allowed to emerge. This includes the ability to enjoy and appreciate music, which is simply the best. A day without music is one wasted and gone forever.

Legalization here in California has helped since I've found Big Tree, super affordable and high quality, billed as America's weed. Can score a half ounce for less than 60 bucks, which is what an eighth used to run me. And they deliver straight to my door too, so nice. But smoking and listening to music has been my happy place since my dark college years. I've quit for extended periods of time but life is more fun when I'm smoking.

 

[Brian Hall]

Legalization here in California has helped

Oklahoma has legalized "medical" marijuana. I have a card for "shoulder pain".

 

[neRok]

I've realised over the years that marijuana and various ratio CBD oils don't do anything beneficial for me (in regards to mood/vibe/etc), and it turns out there's a good reason why — ADHD. It turns out that my particular type of ADHD (called ADHD-PI = Predominately Inattentive) is associated with "high internal distraction and rumination", and I in particular have near-constant internal narration, and that has defined my "compensation style" over the years (which is that I think through/about everything).

So you might be thinking "wtf does this have to do with listening to music when stoned", and my answer to that is that I basically can't listen at all when stoned, because the way my mind is affected (ie, by being slowed down) means that I end up using even more brain-power to "maintain control" of myself. The end result is basically tunnel vision, which ChatGPT attribributed to "increased introspection or hyperfocus".

Yes—what you’re describing is exactly the kind of effect I meant by “tunnel vision.” That experience of being locked into your own headspace—monitoring your behavior, overthinking your inner state, and feeling like your attention is stuck on one track—is common in people with ADHD-PI when they use marijuana, especially THC-heavy strains.

On the flip side, alcohol works great for me!

I wouldn't say that my hearing is improved in any way, but because my mind becomes "uninhibited" by all the usual BS when drunk, then that means it can focus in on the music better. And being drunk also causes the volume knob to get turned up higher and higher, which sounds good too!

https://imgur.com/AyaFcs4.mp4

• Alcohol depresses activity in the prefrontal cortex—the part of your brain most responsible for executive function, self-monitoring, and social regulation.
• For many people with ADHD-PI, who live in their heads and often over-regulate, alcohol temporarily lowers the burden of internal self-checking.
• This is why you might not get stuck in loops while drunk—you’re thinking less about thinking.

Here's a good comparison + summary ChatGPT gave me (I happened to explore this topic with it the other day);

# Why This Makes Sense for ADHD-PI​

You likely compensate for inattention by staying tightly self-aware and managing yourself consciously.

So in both cases—marijuana and alcohol—the core issue is the same:

• Your default mode is heightened internal awareness and social self-monitoring.
• When that system is warped (by THC making it overactive or alcohol dulling it unevenly), things can get weird.

# A Model Based on What You’ve Shared​

Substance	EF Impact	Internal Dialogue	Social Awareness	Risk
THC	Disrupts filtering, increases rumination	Introspective, looping	Abstract, hyper-aware	Tunnel vision, frozen state
Alcohol	Dulls inhibition, reduces control	Decreased inner chatter	Blunt but reactive	Misread cues, paranoia, oversharing

# What To Watch For​

You might be especially sensitive to mental state transitions:

• Too much internal focus → “frozen” or overthinking.
• Too little regulation → impulsive or socially unsure.

That’s actually a classic pattern in high-functioning inattentive ADHD: you’re managing two modes that don’t blend easily.

 

[Neric]

Well there's a reason you can be more creative on drugs including weed and alcohol. It basically changes your brain to be more like a teenager.

This may be while a lot of music has been composed while under the effects of drug. Historically humans have used alcohol socially as part of the society.

It wasn't until the late 1800s that this started to change - Humans were getting better and better at making spirits - concentrated alcohol that's far easier to abuse. So you got temperance movement and the prohibition against alcohol.

Weed has been around for a long time but not to the same level as alcohol. But it does many of the same things to your brain.

Opium is another drug with a fascinating history - the British grew it in India and sold it to the Chinese but the history goes back 1000s of years. There's some good books if one wants to dive into all this. I seem to like reading them.

 

[olds1959special]

I have always felt cannabis helped my hearing by relaxing my body/ears.

 

[xanalog]

Sativa is the enemy of a couch-potato!
I can't be sure but I think my hearing becomes... more acute... or more focused... or I pay more attention to detail.

Ask any 'scientist and they'll tell you that "Pot needs more research." A ha!
Colorado legalized it over a decade ago, yet these experts continue to perpetrate same stigma by singing the same tune.

Factoid: Bob Marley's favorite was Lamb's Bread [Breath?].

 

[Robin L]

Sativa is the enemy of a couch-potato!
I can't be sure but I think my hearing becomes... more acute... or more focused... or I pay more attention to detail.

Ask any 'scientist and they'll tell you that "Pot needs more research." A ha!
Colorado legalized it over a decade ago, yet these experts continue to perpetrate same stigma by singing the same tune.

Factoid: Bob Marley's favorite was Lamb's Bread [Breath?].

Bread:

Lamb's Bread aka Lamb's Breath Weed Strain Information | Leafly

Lamb’s Bread, also known as “Lamb’s Breath,” is a sativa marijuana strain of unknown genetic origin, with uniquely-shaped, light green buds that resemble balls of sheep’s wool. The effects of Lamb’s Bread are believed to be energetic and uplifting. Reviewers on Leafly say Lamb’s Bread makes them...

www.leafly.com

 

[xanalog]

Bread:

Have you ever heard the accent of a Jamaican saying words w/the letters 'th'.
Jah Mahn!

 

[Somafunk]

double post so I’ll edit/modify into something else….must be the weed and gummies my aunt recently brought me over from Nova Scotia

 

[Somafunk]

Sativa is the enemy of a couch-potato!
I can't be sure but I think my hearing becomes... more acute... or more focused... or I pay more attention to detail.

I’ve been taking to the habit of lacing my double double shot cappuccino with 8 sprays of my Sativex spray so about 20mg each of THC/CBD, I get a buzz from the caffeine which is most welcome due to my SPMS but as soon as my arse hits the recliner I’m locked in place and very comfortable without any desire to move for an hr or two , my mum was somewhat inquisitive so she now likes/takes a single spray in her double shot cappuccinos.

 

[Gibsonian]

In a nutshell weed is like BASF used to say “we don’t make the products that you use, we just make the products that you use, better”

 

[xanalog]

I think there are some current debates regarding the descriptive/identifier terms used as Sativa (head high) and Indica (body high).
Some interviews indicate that the different terpene constituents interacting with the THC differentiate the different buzz.
When I asked my search engine, this AI answer came-up first:

Hiii Magazine has covered topics related to terpenes, highlighting their significance in the cannabis industry.
The magazine explores the intersection of art and science in understanding terpenes, which are volatile organic compounds responsible for the distinct aromas and flavors of cannabis strains.

It is worth noting that the actual interview article in the Hiii magazine w/Andy E. Tabuena (CSO) states clearly the different terpenes' "ratios are what define smell, taste and again the effects."
I had saved the article because I had never heard all these different terpene types w/i this class of VOCs, in pot.
1) Linalool >> Relaxing/Calming/Sedative/Anti-anxiety
2) Ocimene >> Energizing/Uplifting/Anti-inflammatory/Antifungal/Antioxidant
3) Eucalyptol >> Soothing/MentalClarity/Euphoric/Anti-inflammatory/Antioxidant
4) Terpinolene >> Relaxing/Sedative/Anti-anxiety/Anti-bacterial/Antiseptic
5) Borneol >> Relaxing/Euphoric/Anti-inflammatory/PainRelief
6) Geraniol >> Uplifting/Vibrant/Anti-inflammatory/Anti-anxiety/PainRelief
[JackHerrer/StrawberryCough/GreenCrack are #2 and AllHazes/OGKush/SourDiesel are #5 and PurplePunch/AgentOrange/FruityPebble are #6. predominantly.]

One 2024 release of the National Geographic magazine was dedicated to "The Cannabis Revolution" and quite educational, as the pickins are slim.

 

[Joe BKNY]

In recent years I’ve also returned to occasionally using cannabis, and for me it has been an extremely effective and an entirely subjective audio “hack” - music just sounds MUCH better. I won’t bore you with the details - I’m here for a different reason. To use a vintage phrase, I hate to “be a bummer” but… as the following article lays out, recent research has found a significant correlation between cannabis use and heart attacks and strokes. Please don’t activate the “it’s just hysterical propaganda” defense mechanism until you take a look at this New York Times Article. For me (but maybe not for you) the takeaway is a familiar one: moderate!

 

[Chr1]

Can't read the article without registering/logging in. Wonder if it relates to smoking cannabis.

Smoking anything will increase your chances of strokes, heart attacks etc.

Eating or vaping recommended.
My 2c.

 

[Bruce Morgen]

Can't read the article without registering/logging in. Wonder if it relates to smoking cannabis.

Smoking anything will increase your chances of strokes, heart attacks etc.

Eating or vaping recommended.
My 2c.

Smoke of any kind is bad for your health due to its unavoidable CO and particulate content. That's one of several reasons why alternate delivery methods like vaping, edibles, and tincture are preferable.

 

[Anton S]

Yep. Since I got back into recreational use of cannabis, I've stuck with edibles. Particularly partial to the flavor and effect of THC-infused dark chocolate.

EDIT: I developed hypertension several years ago (before resuming cannabis use) as a result of work stress, and have been taking Losartan for that. My physician has me taking my blood pressure with a cuff twice daily to keep tabs on it, and I've noticed that my blood pressure is significantly lower on days when have an edible than it is on days when I don't. Might be just my weird metabolism. Antihistamines are downers for most people, but they're like speed for me. I used to eat them like M&M's to stay up when I was pulling all-nighters.

 

[Somafunk]

Yeah smoking is bad but sometimes a joint is just the perfect delivery system to use,

 

[Bruce Morgen]

Yeah smoking is bad but sometimes a joint is just the perfect delivery system to use,

I think this is particularly true for former cigarette smokers -- there can be something comfortably familiar about the motions of smoking for those folks.

 

[xanalog]

Vaping sits on the fence between smoking and other forms of uptake.
[imo]Smoking a doobie after the first (tasteful) puff is like gargling with heating oil, and the edibles just drag me down to a blob.
I fully gave up on the former and never fancied the high of the latter.