Is it actually bad to smoke when you’re sick?
If you smoke often, you’ve more than likely been there. It’s a common scenario: you finish a long day at work and drag yourself home. You’re run down: your throat feels rusty and your head hurts like shit. You open the door to find your housemates spread over the couch and like clockwork you hear four of your favourite words: “Want a billy, man?”
What do you say?
Your brain wants it, but does your body? Will it just send you on a downward spiral? Or will it make the experience a whole lot more tolerable?
It’s known that cannabis compromises and suppresses your immune system. THC is fat soluble, which means it gets absorbed by white blood cells – the ones our body uses to fight infections – which probably doesn’t help a throat infection. Nonetheless, myself and many of the Dopamine team have found from personal experience (and from reading some online discussions) that experiences are always different. You’ll find people raving about the effects of smoking pot when they were sick, and you’ll find people who share the stories of how it sent them over the edge.
What we can ultimately take from this is, try it for yourself, assess your illness and your desire to get high and weigh out the options. Consider moderating your smoking – maybe smoke less, or smoke a joint if you’re a cone sort.
what works for others might not necessarily work for you
Inhaling smoke (especially if you spin with baccy) is never good for respiratory issues, but smoking isn’t the only way to consume cannabis. Edibles, tea and vaporisers are fantastic options when you’re sick as they cut out the deleterious effects on your throat due to smoking. Ultimately, applying burnt plant matter to your throat when you have a cold isn’t necessarily a good idea, but we think, if you explore your body’s reaction and do what it tells you, with moderation you don’t have to stop getting high – just be a smart stoner!
