Is Weed a Depressant, Stimulant, or Hallucinogen?

Types of Drugs & Their Effects

There are different categories or classifications of drugs. A drug is classified based on its chemical composition and its effects. Each type of drug has characteristic effects on the human brain and body, some of which are short-term and others which may be long-term.

Some of the different types and classifications of drugs include:^1,3

• Stimulant drugs: Stimulant drugs have a quickening effect on the body, brain, and nervous system and work by speeding up heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration, as well as increasing energy, mental alertness, motivation, stamina, and confidence. Common stimulants include Cocaine, Crystal Meth, and ADHD medications like Adderall/Ritalin.
• Depressant drugs: Depressant drugs have a slowing and sedating effect on the brain, body, and nervous system, causing heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure to drop and the person to feel more relaxed, calm, and sleepy. Common depressants/sedatives include Benzodiazepines like Xanax/Klonopin, alcohol, or prescription sleeping medications like Ambien.
• Opioid drugs: Opioids are drugs that have powerful analgesic and pain-relieving effects but are dangerous because they can be highly addictive and can cause dangerous or even fatal drops in blood pressure and respiration at high doses, which causes the most fatal overdoses of any other type of drug. Common opioids include Heroin, fentanyl, morphine, and other prescribed painkillers like codeine, Percocet, and Oxycontin.
• Hallucinogen drugs: Hallucinogens or psychedelics are drugs that alter a person’s perception of reality by changing the way your nerve cells communicate with one another, altering your mood, thinking, and consciousness temporarily. Common hallucinogens include Psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, Ayahuasca, Peyote, and DMT.

What Type of Drug Is Weed?

So, what type of drug is weed? Weed is usually given its own classification as cannabis, but it is sometimes labeled as a depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogen/psychedelic because of its variable effects. Some of the variability in the effects of weed is caused by dosage, route of administration, or the type/strain of weed, and some are related to the individual. For example, it is often reported that in smaller doses, cannabis is more likely to behave like a stimulant, but in larger doses, it tends to be more sedating. Extra large THC doses are usually needed to create the hallucinogenic effects of weed.^4,5

Individual factors like a person’s tolerance level, past experiences being high, expectations or fears about being high, and the time, setting and situation where they smoke also can influence the effects of THC. Less experienced users with lower tolerances to THC may experience more intense, disorienting, and distressing effects when using cannabis, especially if they’re in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable setting or crowd.^5,6

Some people’s neurochemistry just doesn’t seem to mix well with cannabis. For example, they may report weed always makes them anxious, paranoid, groggy, tired, or nauseous. For others, these adverse effects of weed may be much less common. Some people report mostly stimulating effects when they smoke, like feeling more aware, creative, motivated, or talkative, and others describe the opposite, reporting it makes them lazy, drowsy, hungry, and ‘couch-locked.’⁵

The Depressant Effects of Weed

Weed can have depressant effects, causing people to feel sluggish, slow, drained, and unmotivated. These sedating effects tend to be more likely to occur when higher doses of cannabis are taken, but some people experience these depressant effects even in small doses. Heavy, chronic cannabis users are also more likely to report depressant effects related to weed.

Heavy use may be leading to some of the following depressive symptoms:^2,5,6

• Loss of motivation and drive
• Feeling more drained and tired
• Feeling foggy or unable to focus
• Feeling sad, somber, bored, or down
• Moving slower, feeling sluggish
• Wanting to sleep more often or for longer
• Trouble starting or completing basic tasks
• Feeling apathetic, numb, or disinterested

Different strains of cannabis may produce slightly different highs. Traditionally, Indica-dominant strains are believed to be more sedating, and people looking for the depressant effects of weed may seek out indica strains for this reason. Still, most experts admit that almost all modern strains are hybridized, making the two dominant ‘types’ less distinct from one another.⁷

Does Long-term Weed Use Lead to Depression?

Cannabis use and depression have a relationship that has been well-documented in the research, and it’s generally accepted that heavy cannabis use and depression commonly co-occur. Researchers still don’t fully understand this relationship and specifically aren’t sure if one causes the other. It is likely that for people who struggle with depression, heavy and chronic use of weed can worsen symptoms.

Most of the depressant effects of weed are temporary and will go away within days or weeks of stopping. The sedating effects of weed are strongest when the effects of the drug are active, which tends to be between 1-3 hours after smoking or inhaling cannabis.⁸ Studies have also found that cognitive impairments in memory, attention, and learning found in heavy adult cannabis users resolved within less than a month of abstinence, suggesting these effects are reversible in nature.^3,4,8

The Stimulant Effects of Weed

Weed can have stimulant effects, leading some people to feel more energized, creative, and productive. Some people even report feeling more alert, awake, and aware when they are high. The stimulating effects of weed don’t happen for everyone, and many people report that they almost never feel more energetic, alert, and functional when they get high. Still, a small subset of users do report that weed is more of a stimulant drug for them.

Some of the stimulating effects they may experience include:^2,5,6

• Feeling more alert and awake
• Quickening of heart rate, respiration or blood pressure
• Getting a burst of energy, motivation or inspiration
• Having racing thoughts or a flight of ideas
• Feeling happy, uplifted, or expansive
• Trouble sitting still and being quiet
• Feeling fidgety, restless or nervous
• Being hyper, unable to calm down or sleep

The stimulant effects of weed tend to be linked to lower doses, with higher doses producing more sedating effects. Sativa strains of cannabis are also anecdotally reported to have more stimulating and uplifting effects, although this idea gets mixed reviews from experts and experimenters.⁷

The Hallucinogenic Effects of Weed

Cannabis can also have hallucinogenic or psychedelic effects on people, especially when taken in very high doses. Consuming edibles or concentrates of THC may be more likely to produce these psychedelic effects, as the THC content is often higher than when smoking. New or inexperienced users may be more likely to experience hallucinogenic effects before getting used to the way it feels to be high.

Some of the hallucinogenic effects they may experience include:^2,4,5,6

• Altered perception of time, space, or structure of reality
• Feeling disoriented, confused, and unable to function or focus
• Having increased sensory sensitivity (i.e. to light, sound, touch, etc.)
• Visual hallucinations or delusions (i.e., trails of lights, colors, objects moving, etc.)
• Auditory hallucinations or delusions (i.e., hearing whispers, high-pitched sounds, ringing)
• Feeling detached or dissociated from your body, self, or surroundings
• Being unable to process information in a normal, rational, linear manner
• Having strange, disturbing, or disorganized thoughts or ideas that don’t make sense

Many chronic users report never experiencing any hallucinogenic effects from weed, even after experimenting with higher doses and different methods of administration. Adolescents may be especially sensitive to the hallucinogenic properties of weed, and those with a predisposition for schizophrenia and psychosis may find that weed triggers or ‘activates’ psychotic symptoms.⁴

When to Seek Professional Help

When cannabis contributes to a person’s depressive symptoms, the effects are usually temporary.⁵ However, heavy cannabis users are at risk of developing depressive symptoms.⁸ Additionally, even though weed isn’t usually considered physically addictive, an estimated 9% of users do develop an addiction to cannabis.⁴ Sometimes, this addiction shows up as cravings, tolerance, and weed withdrawals when they try to cut back or stop using. Other times, there are no signs of dependence, and the primary ‘symptoms’ of addiction show up in the form of problems, consequences, and impairments in the person’s life.⁹

If your weed habit has become problematic and impairs your ability to function or follow a normal routine, it is a good idea to seek professional treatment. There are a number of good options for addiction treatment for mild to moderate cannabis use, including outpatient group or individual therapy, online therapy, or even free support groups like Narcotics Anonymous or SMART Recovery. Many people begin their search for treatment by using an online therapist directory.