Is Contact High Real? Top 5 Things to Know

You’ve just arrived at your friend’s birthday party and taken a seat on their sofa. The music is playing, drinks are sloshing, and the energy is really beginning to pick up. Then, you smell it – is someone smoking? 

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You take another few breaths and begin to feel different. You wonder if the air you’re taking in is really making you fuzzy in the head or if it’s just paranoia. Before long, you’re definitely having a hard time walking around the same way, and your friend says you seem unusually giggly. 

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What’s going on here? Can smelling weed get you high? Is a contact high even a thing that actually happens? Let’s take a closer look.

What Is a Contact High, Exactly?

When a person is exposed to secondhand marijuana smoke, they may breathe in some of the compounds that live within it. When this occurs, a contact high–or experiencing psychoactive effects from someone else's smoke–is possible.

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Although a good amount of the active compounds in cannabis burn up or make it into your lungs, a certain portion of them does not. That means the wispy trails of smoke you see in the air can still be packed with THC, enough to actually alter a nearby person’s state of mind.

What does being high feel like? Is contact high different?

It’s easy to downplay the significance of a contact high or the risks it can carry. After all, if you’re not smoking yourself, how high are you really? In truth, the answer depends – but for many people, it’s a resounding “more than enough.”

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Oftentimes, a contact high is more mild than the high you might get from puffing away on a smokeable yourself. 

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But it’s potentially dangerous to assume this is always the case. So much of the way we experience cannabis comes down to personal biology, tolerance levels, our psychology, and our own personal philosophies. 

Can Smelling Weed Get You High? It Depends

Among other myths about marijuana, the belief that you can get high simply by taking a whiff of some dank bud doesn’t really hold up. We’re talking about smelling flower itself, not smelling a burning joint or the smoke hanging in the air.

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Smelling smoke can give you a contact high, though it’s pretty unlikely that a single sniff of something skunky will make any real difference. Your odds of getting high from afar are a lot higher in, say, a frat bro’s dingy, closed-off basement than they are if you smell some gas while walking down the street.

Hotbox = Highbox

Speaking of closed-off spaces, one of the most notorious environments for passing on contact highs is a hotbox. This is usually a car, though it may also be a small room, a garage, or something else that’s small enough to really get foggy.

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The goal here is usually to produce enough smoke to fill the hotbox, meaning that those inside can breathe in additional THC even when it’s not their turn to puff-puff-pass.

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Maybe it seems obvious that this isn’t the place to be if you want to avoid cannabis entirely, but it’s easy to think that not participating in smoking yourself can help you mostly avoid getting high. 

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But a hotbox or similar space may be the worst place to be in terms of avoiding a contact high. For once, breathing in secondhand smoke is actually the point.

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Cars that are used to hotbox often may even carry some level of risk themselves. Interesting new research is aiming to explore the risk of “thirdhand smoke,” which consists of the particles that cling to a smoker’s furniture, hair, clothes, etc. 

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We don’t know much about this just yet, and much of the conversation currently is surrounding tobacco use. But it’s still important to note that smoke has carcinogens and other potentially harmful chemicals in it that some people may not want to hang out with, no matter where the smoke came from. 

Secondhand Smoke Of Any Kind Has Real Consequences

The fact of the matter is that secondhand smoke comes with risks. This is true whether the smoke comes from tobacco, cannabis, or anything else you might pack into a pipe.

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Because there has historically been (and continues to be, in some places) so much stigma against cannabis, many people might jump to blame the plant for these consequences. But the problem is not cannabis, but smoke itself and the fact that it can carry compounds very far, even to those who have no interest in consuming it.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that marijuana smoke can have many of the same irritants and toxins as tobacco smoke. The addition of THC poses even more serious implications:

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• For children. This is likely the biggest group impacted negatively by secondhand smoke. Several studies indicate that children living with adults who smoke cannabis are more likely to have trace amounts of THC in their bodies, experience contact highs, and accidentally consume cannabis. Of course, this is not to say it’s impossible to be a safe smoker with kids in the house – it just shows that a casual attitude that doesn’t consider the real safety concerns of secondhand smoke can be harmful.
• For health. Because secondhand smoke can carry a lot of the same yucky bits and pieces that end up coating the inside of your piece, it can affect the health of others. People with conditions like asthma and seniors may be at an increased risk for serious consequences.
• For respecting the needs of others. Not everyone wants to smoke, and not everyone wants to be around smoke – plain and simple. That’s okay, just like it’s okay to want and choose to smoke yourself. But secondhand smoke can rob others of their right to choose what goes into their bodies.

Intentional or Not, Exposing Others to Smoke Can Be Harmful

It’s probably not news to you that secondhand smoke is dangerous. But because little is explicitly known about cannabis secondhand smoke, few people are aware of how problematic it can become. 

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This reality isn’t a criticism of cannabis – it’s a wonderful plant that helps many people in more ways than we can list. But it is something to consider, especially as more of the world moves toward using cannabis recreationally and more often. To keep yourself and others safe, it’s best to address risks head-on.

What You Can Do to Avoid a Contact High, If Necessary

Let’s go back to that party from earlier. What steps can you take to avoid a contact high, and how can you steer clear of putting someone else in the same situation? There are some pretty easy things you can keep in mind to help.

Smoke somewhere private and separate, or ask your loved ones to do the same.

Most studies conducted on secondhand smoke from cannabis note that ventilation may be a significant factor in determining how strong a person’s contact high is (or if one happens at all). 

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One study asked participants to spend three hours in a space with good ventilation and people smoking marijuana. Researchers found that while some THC was present in the participants’ blood post-study, it was relatively insignificant. Another study, however, found that nonsmokers exposed to just one hour of secondhand smoke in a non-ventilated room got enough of a contact high to fail a drug test. 

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The takeaway? Smoking in a place with no air flow almost certainly exposes other people to enough THC to make a difference. So, when it’s time to unwind, find somewhere outdoors or at least ventilated enough to bring in new air to replace smoky air. You can ask others to do this, too.

Keep children away from all marijuana and hemp products.

This may go without saying, but because rates of THC intoxication are highest by far in children, it’s crucial to keep all cannabis products locked up and out of reach. If you’re smoking or vaping, keep kids far, far away – it’s ideal to step outside, but at the very least, be sure no little ones will be able to join you.

Consider THC-free options instead.

If the risk is higher than the potential reward, you can choose not to smoke or use products with THC. Other cannabinoids can still help you feel relaxed, happy, and creative. In fact, things like CBD can enhance your self-care routine and help you manage things like pain, anxiety, and insomnia.

Steer clear of others who don’t respect your wishes.

If you find yourself on the receiving end of a contact high, do your best to stay away from the person or environment who caused it. If you see or smell smoke, try to remove yourself from the situation. This can be easier said than done, but remember that friends don’t make other friends uncomfortable – if someone pushes your boundaries, it’s time for them to go.

Think carefully about any potential risks.

Other things to consider will probably be unique to you. Do you have pets who might breathe in your smoke? Other family members with health conditions? 

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No matter what you do, remember that it’s always best to speak to a healthcare professional before you make any changes to what you put in your body – even natural medicines like cannabis can lead to complications, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Learn More About Your Options for Smoking Safely

At Green Dragon CBD, we understand that different cannabis lovers have unique needs. We also know that getting high isn’t always equal to having a good time. That’s why we offer a wide variety of cannabis products meant to meet the needs of just about anyone. To learn more, contact us for a consultation and to see how we can help you.

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