For the past 40 years, on the morning of my cannabis lectures, I have asked students in my psychopharmacology courses the following question: ‘How many of you are getting high right now?’ Typically, about 5 percent of the class will raise their hands.
As states legalize recreational marijuana in recent years, understanding youth marijuana use patterns has become increasingly important. Recent polls have shown that more than 25% of U.S. youth report using marijuana regularly these days.
As youth use increases, so does the potency of cannabis. The young people in my class are typical of most young people: they feel invincible and don't see the risks of cannabis use. They see driving under the influence of cannabis as a relatively low risk, especially compared to the risks of driving under the influence of alcohol.
One high-risk cannabis consumption behavior is consuming cannabis immediately after waking up, colloquially known as “wake and bake.” The internet is filled with articles, recipes for edible breakfast ideas, and songs that glamorize this behavior as a relaxing way to start your day.
Why would anyone choose to wake up and bake bread right away?
In one study, adolescents and young adults reported that if participants regularly consumed more cannabis in the morning, they used less cannabis in the afternoon or after midnight. People who smoke cannabis first thing in the morning reported more cannabis-related symptoms than those who do not smoke cannabis in the morning. Young adults' tendency to smoke cannabis first thing in the morning may also be related to coping with and managing school- and work-related demands.
A recent study of 409 young adults found that consuming cannabis first thing in the morning was positively correlated with the number of hours high. This is consistent with research suggesting that consuming cannabis in the morning may be associated with increased cannabis use overall. This finding is also consistent with research on people who consumed nicotine and alcohol immediately after waking, who tended to consume more of their preferred drugs.
Surprisingly, the study reported that morning-to-night cannabis use was not directly associated with a number of acute adverse effects of cannabis, such as hyperemesis, impaired coordination or performance, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or tendencies, or psychotic symptoms. This is surprising because there is a significant association between morning-to-night use and length of time high, and there is the expected positive association between duration of high and adverse effects.
Future research is needed to shed light on this mystery. The authors suggested that future studies should focus on specific outcomes associated with early morning cannabis use, such as changes in levels of motivation or performance at school or work.
In the current study, young adults who reported more social anxiety coping behaviors at baseline were more likely to use cannabis immediately after waking on cannabis use days. Further analysis showed that participants were more likely to be antisocial or purposely avoid others on days when they used cannabis immediately after waking than on days when they did not use cannabis immediately after waking. This makes sense, as many studies have shown that people with higher clinical social anxiety symptoms report higher cannabis cravings.
The authors hypothesized that people who bake first thing in the morning to cope with social anxiety may do so in preparation for upcoming social situations or in anticipation of cravings that may arise during everyday social interactions.
