Welcome to another case of examining some of Cannabis’ most enduring superstitions. This month we look at one that, to this day, gets brought up at smoke sessions and livestreams all over the world. Some people will tell you irrefutably and with religious conviction that not only do you need to hold in your Cannabis hit but that you aren’t getting as high if you don’t. And while half of that statement is true, which half and why might just surprise you.
There’s no doubt a minigame involved in trying not to immediately exhale after taking a puff. Contests are often held around a rotation to see who exhales before the joint gets back to them or who explodes into a coughing fit from trying. The phrase “if you don’t cough, you don’t get off” seems directly tied to the idea of holding in a hit. So, considering the firm belief, we have to ask: Is there merit to this idea? The Cannabis world often suffers from a lack of scientific studies to properly determine whether myths like this are fact or fiction. However, this is one of those instances where the science isn’t just available — it’s been there for years.
Between the YouTube videos and brand-written articles on the subject, the National Institutes of Health website outlines a 1989 study in which Cannabis smokers were asked to hold their hits for zero, 10 and 20 seconds. Researchers then monitored them to determine whether breath-holding affected function or efficacy. Even back then, they found no conclusive evidence to support the idea that purposely holding your breath results in a greater absorption of THC into the lungs.
From that breadcrumb, you might find a 1992 study published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, which concluded that there was more evidence for cumulative exposure (i.e., how many puffs you take) rather than prolonged exposure. Though the study was a weeklong trial with a small sample size, most of the same team reunited in 1995 to create a second study examining volume versus duration, published in the same journal.
From both these studies, the team was able to report that their findings “support the notion that cumulative puff volume systematically influences biological exposure and subjective effects, but cast doubt on the common belief that prolonged breath-holding of marijuana smoke enhances classical subjective effects associated with its reinforcing value in humans.”
Despite all this, there’s still some mystery in the situation. That 1989 study is also quick to point out that “the actual influence on breath-hold duration in response to marijuana smoke” wasn’t what was being studied, but rather the use of “systematic manipulation of breath-hold duration on the physiological, cognitive and subjective response to marijuana smoke.”
The 1992/1995 research team also saw a slight uptick in results when smoke was held in for three to 10 seconds, but that’s not how this myth gained such a lasting legacy that people on social media will constantly bring it up.
For one thing, there’s a reason you might feel more lightheaded after holding your breath for 30 seconds or coughing your guts out. Both of these activities deprive your brain of oxygen, elevating carbon dioxide in the bloodstream and producing feelings of spaciness, confusion and dizziness. So yes, these things will make you feel more fucked up, but that’s different than being higher.
We’ll have to wait for more studies to examine THC absorption, but for now, the next time someone comments on how long you held in your hit, you can remind them that you’re here to get high on weed, not a lack of oxygen.
