One folk wisdom is that pot (and alcohol too) unblock some inner mental states that the rest of your brain inhibits. So some people get high and forget their troubles, but some people get high and forget their coping mechanisms.

It sounds like you consumed too large a dose. Being overwhelmingly high can easily be anxious and uncomfortable for many people.

Even if you think you consumed a small amount, it may have been more than you could handle, especially if you are comparing it to what is consumed by somebody who has built up a tolerance. As the article says, some of what's out there is very potent.

Not necessarily. I used to be able to take huge hits out of bongs for the first two years that I smoked - no anxiety. Something changed at some point and now taking even a small baby hit off of a joint will send my anxiety into overdrive...to the point where I can't even be in the same room with friends I've known my whole life. They can feel it too...it's contagious.

The last time that I smoked, almost 4 years ago, I had a single hit from a pot ecig. What would've been a non-issue, made me completely unable to function socially. Even trying to watch a relatively tame episode of Law and Order: SVU had me worried that my friends were going to hurt me and anxious about the episode content. I honestly felt mentally unwell and like I was going crazy.

I've smoked on and off since 14. I used to just feel kind of out of it and relaxed. It's not something I can do anymore, and not something that I miss.

> I'll never stop being fascinated by how radically different the experiences of cannabis users are

Nothing to be fascinated about. The experience is different primarily from the type of strain they have inhaled or ingested.

Sativa only strain - High, euphoria, very social

Indica only strain - Sleepy, lethargic, somewhat anti-social

Sativa dominant Sativa-Indica hybrid - Not so high, still little euphoric, smooth come down after few hours.

Indica dominant Indica-Sativa hybrid - Not so sleepy / lethargic, little euphoric...

And then there's the CBD dominant ones which don't get you high, and supposedly cure you of various illnesses. Not FDA approved.

No offense intended, but I'd like to mirror a lot of other folks' responses here: everyone's body is different.

I've tried a lot of different kinds of pot (it's all legal in the PNW) and I've never experienced the good feelings other folks I know do. It's just not pleasant for me, and it's a little grating to have to repeat this to my pot advocate friends; great that you get something out of it, but the reaction to my experiences that I just haven't tried the right kind is frustrating.

I experimented extensively with sativas, indicas, and all sorts of hybrids. I never ever got a euphoria. Indicas (and sativas in sufficient quantity) would give me couch lock, and clouded my mind to where I couldn't code. It never felt good, even tho I really wanted it to. I wanted to replace opioids with it. Sadly I just don't think my body works with it. Maybe that's why I come from a family of alcoholics rather than potheads :shrug:

Yeah, different strains is the most common explanation i've heard. But in my own self experimentation I notice relatively little difference between Sativa and Indica.