Smoking weed is getting more popular than ever with people of all age brackets. Though it is not yet completely legal worldwide, the legalization movement has gained a lot of traction over the last few years. It remains to be seen when it becomes fully legal. What are the reasons for this consideration of legalizing what was once vehemently frowned at? There have been proven successes with using weed medically. It is known that the cannabinoids in weeds may reduce pain by altering the pathways for pain perception in the brain.  It can be helpful for treating chronic pains like those from arthritis. Smoking weed normally has its immediate effect on the brain. So, is it likely that this can affect one’s creativity? Let us find out together.

The science and neuroscience of doing weed

From renowned PhDs in science laboratories to those kids with dreadlocks in their dormitories, the effect of weed on creativity has been studied extensively. The findings have been somewhat of a mixed bag situation. Creativity is like divergent thinking or the ability to view things in several other different ways from the norm. When people see innovations that practically beat normal human imagination, you do hear remarks of “wow, what did he smoke?”. It is proof that some people believe that there is some temporary genius that comes with smoking weed.

In 2010,  a study by Rothwell Morgan showed that one of the properties of weed is the ability to make connections among concepts that seem unrelated. It is like increasing hyper-priming. Weed also causes the brain to release dopamine, a neurochemical substance that gives users a calm feeling. People high on weed usually discover that their thoughts and feelings move more freely. More research on the use of weed shows that it blurs the lines between the human five senses, increasing the capacity for some creative display.

The high and creative

If we move away from science a little bit, another evidence of the importance of weed to creativity is the way celebrities fight over it. Many famous people have made their conclusion on their use of weed clear. Steve Jobs once remarked that the best way he could define the effect of weed is that it made him relaxed and creative. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys claims that smoking weed helped him to write the massively acclaimed pet sound album. Another actor, screenwriter, and director named Kevin Smith credited his ability to climb out of his failures with films, to the smoking of weed

Weed and creativity in music production

Most musical artists especially the ones in rap and rock do showcase weed in their videos and the probability is high that they patronize it. Studies have shown that one of the ways in which weed helps the user to be creative is in the production of music. Some of these artists smoke weed to get new ideas either with their rapping, singing, disk jockeying, playing musical instruments, or even while using music making software.

The majority of weed users who are also into music have said that using weed makes them feel calmer and at ease to explore new ideas. In fact, musical artists that are into rock and rap believe that using weed will make them more successful in terms of brilliant, original content creation. Alanis Morissette, a rockstar artist, confesses smoking weed regularly when writing music. According to her, it is like shining a flashlight onto your unconscious. In an interview with High Times magazine, Alanis said that the herbs keep her creative juices flowing. It has become a norm among most musical artists that upcoming ones feel they do not belong yet until they take to using weed also. It is now a contagious way of life for music artists.

The decision to do weed so as to boost your creativity is a personal choice. The research into the use of weed and its part in creativity has data showing that there is no guarantee you will smoke your way into some genius. However, some users take it as just what their brains need to keep them going. Doing weed has its pros and cons of how it can help you and how it can hurt you. Using weed has not been legalized internationally but we are not blind to the world we live in. It is still out there and people are using it. This is the reason why we need to learn more about it.