It may not be news to cannabis consumers that music sounds better after you’ve smoked some of your favourite flower. The notes seem clearer and the lyrics seem to radiate in a way that’s different with cannabis. There are no studies I’m aware of that look at why cannabis makes music sound better, but there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence that points to how music gets an extra boost with cannabis consumption.
A 2011 study, published in the journal Neuropharmacology found that cannabis does have some effect on auditory processing in humans. The study, which looked at 14 different subjects, each on three different occasions, used FRMI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging, to see if cannabis affected the auditory and visual processing of people. In the study, THC and CBD were isolated and tested separately, each appearing to have different effects on the auditory system.
Cannabis Makes You Tune In
It turns out cannabis can help people focus only on relevant stimuli. So when you’re listening to music, you may be able to become more zoned into the specifics of a song. Cannabis can also assist in relaxing you and help rid you of outside stresses, so that you can enjoy music on a deeper level. As a result, the more immersed you become in the music, the better it sounds and the more you connect with the it.
Smoking or ingesting marijuana can also help you enter a meditative state, enabling you to absorb the music you’re listening to even more. You may have noticed how it allows you to feel more freely and enhances your ability to access emotions that you may otherwise keep hidden. It so happens music is closely tied with memories and emotions, which makes cannabis a great pairing for fantastic music you may have heard before.
Possibly most importantly, however, is that cannabis has the ability to promote happy feelings. When you’re listening to music, and you’re feeling euphoric, it’s far more likely to sound amazing and be more enjoyable.
Morrissey is a classic favourite to listen to while consuming cannabis.
Music History & Cannabis
Many musicians, from Lady Gaga to Bob Marley, have found inspiration from using cannabis and attribute much of their creative success to it. Cannabis is closely tied to many different genres of music, both with positive and negative connotations.
EDM: Electric music has experienced a hay-day in recent years, becoming increasingly popular as the music festival scene has grown. EDM is full of cannabis references and it has become a large part of the culture.
Folk: From Bob Dylan to the Grateful Dead to Willie Nelson, cannabis has been a part of folk music culture for as long as it has been around. Folk music has long been associated with hippies and the counterculture of the ’60s and ’70s, making cannabis a great companion.
Hip Hop: Cannabis has long been tied with hip hop and rap; you’ll hear it referenced constantly in songs. Hip-hop lyrics involving cannabis are some of the most well-known references to marijuana. Hip hop has also given us some of our biggest cannabis legalization advocates, such as Snoop Dogg.
Jazz: Cannabis and jazz have a long and storied history that many people aren’t aware of. Anti-cannabis advocates used racism towards African American jazz musicians as a reason to outlaw cannabis, which they were rumored to smoke. Despite the propaganda used by anti-marijuana groups, some jazz musicians were cannabis fans. Louis Armstrong was known for his song called “Muggles,” which was a slang term for marijuana.
Pop: Does “I get high with a little help from my friends” ring a bell to you? The Beatles didn’t shy away from their affection for cannabis, and neither do modern day pop stars like Miley Cyrus. Cyrus has been open with her marijuana use, even smoking a joint on live television.
Reggae: Cannabis’s number one advocate before Snoop Dogg came along was Bob Marley. He often attributed his success with writing new music to cannabis consumption, and it became a very integral part of the reggae image he fostered.
Rock: From the Beach Boys to Jimi Hendrix, many rock icons used cannabis to help them kick back while out on the road. Though rock is sometimes associated with harder drugs, cannabis has long been a part of the rock culture and creative process.
Kick back with Bowie and a little cannabis.
HelloMD’s Cannabis Playlist
Here are some of the songs that we think go great with some delicious flower or a nice vaporizer on a Friday night.
- Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
- Scarlett Begonias - Sublime
- Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
- Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles
- Ripple - The Grateful Dead
- Times They Are A-Changin’ - Bob Dylan
- Lost in My Mind - The Head and The Heart
- Celeste - Ezra Vine
