High

"High" is the general lay descriptor for acute cannabis intoxication — the constellation of subjective mood, perceptual, cognitive, and somatic changes produced by Δ9-THC binding at CB1 receptors in cortico-limbic circuits. NASEM (2017) operationalizes the acute "high" through self-report scales such as the Drug Effects Questionnaire and Visual Analog Scales of "feel drug," "like drug," and "high." Typical features include euphoria, relaxation, altered time perception, heightened sensory salience, increased appetite, mild tachycardia, and conjunctival injection. Intensity is dose-dependent and predicted more reliably by delivered THC than by product "%THC" alone. Onset is 5–10 minutes inhaled (peak 15–30 min, 2–4 h duration) and 30–120 minutes oral (peak 1–3 h, 4–12 h duration) (Grotenhermen 2003; Huestis 2007; Spindle 2018 JAMA Netw Open). Subjective high tracks plasma THC with counterclockwise hysteresis — subjective peak lags plasma Cmax by ~10–20 minutes because THC must equilibrate into brain tissue. Citations: NASEM 2017; Grotenhermen F. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2003;42:327-360; Spindle TR et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2018;1(7):e184841.