Mixing cocaine and weed can increase your risk of dangerous side effects. The mixture elevates heart rate and blood pressure for a greater risk of stroke or heart attack.
Cocaine and weed are two common drugs of abuse in the United States.
Cocaine is entirely illegal for recreational use, while weed is currently at the center of a national debate over legalization. Regardless of their legal status, people can still use both substances, and in many cases, they may combine them. For this reason, it is important to understand how both drugs work and the risks of taking them together.
Article at a Glance:
- Cocaine and weed are often mixed in an attempt to reduce cocaine’s negative effects.
- Cocaine and weed both increase heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the stress on your cardiovascular system, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.
- Combining cocaine and weed can also increase your chance of overdose, either on cocaine or on any substances the weed may be laced with.
Mixing Cocaine and Weed
Some people believe that mixing cocaine with weed is appealing, to the point of intentionally lacing their marijuana blunts with cocaine. This combination is known as a woolie.
Reasons people have given for using weed alongside cocaine generally involve using the weed to reduce the intensity of a cocaine high and comedown. Reasons include:
- Reducing the stimulant side effects from cocaine
- Easing the comedown from a cocaine high
- Prolonging the high from cocaine
- Improving sleep or appetite
- Reducing cocaine cravings
However, mixing street drugs like cocaine and weed can be very dangerous.
Cocaine and Weed Side Effects
When used alone, both cocaine and marijuana have health risks. However, mixing the substances can increase those risks:
Since weed changes your perception of time, you might take more cocaine than intended over a shorter length of time, increasing your risk of overdose.
Because both cocaine and weed impact your mood, combining them may further lower your inhibitions, impairing your decision-making abilities.
Both cocaine and weed can increase heart rate and blood pressure. This can damage the cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. These risks are present in young people even with no history of any health problems.
When you abuse two drugs simultaneously, it makes it more likely that you become dependent or addicted to one or both.
Cocaine vs. Weed (Comparison Chart)
Cocaine and weed are different from one another in most ways:
| Cocaine | Weed | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of drug | Stimulant | Psychoactive |
| Controlled substance status | Schedule II | Schedule I |
| Where it comes from | Coca leaves in Bolivia, Peru and Colombia | Cannabis sativa and indica plants, which can be grown indoors or outdoors |
| Common street names | Blow, Coca, Coke, Crack, Flake, Snow, Soda Cot | Aunt Mary, BC Bud, Blunts, Boom, Chronic, Dope, Gangster, Ganja, Grass, Hash, Herb, Hydro, Indo, Joint, Kif, Mary Jane, Mota, Pot, Reefer, Sinsemilla, Skunk, Smoke, Weed, Yerba |
| How it’s abused | Snorted, injected or smoked | Smoked or consumed by mouth |
| What it looks like | Generally looks like a white powder; crack cocaine looks like solid, whitish chunks | Shredded greenish-brown mixture of cannabis flowers, leaves, seeds and stems; can also appear as an oil, gel or extract |
| Side Effects | Alertness, excitation, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, paranoia, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, big pupils, insomnia, loss of appetite | Relaxation, sedation, bloodshot eyes, increased heart rate and blood pressure, increased appetite |
| Overdose Potential | Potential for overdose and death | Unclear overdose potential |
| Addiction Potential | Potential for addiction and dependence | Potential for addiction and dependence |
What Is Weed?
Weed is a slang name for the mind-altering drug marijuana. It comes from the Cannabis sativa or indica plants and contains more than 480 chemicals. THC (delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main ingredient that is responsible for the drug’s psychoactive effects.
When someone smokes marijuana, the THC travels from the lungs and into the bloodstream. From there, it crosses into the brain and works on the brain’s cannabinoid receptors. Most people feel relaxed and euphoric when they use marijuana, but some people may have other experiences, like hallucinations, increased appetite or changed perception of time. Others may experience adverse psychological side effects like paranoia.
People frequently hand-roll cigarettes to smoke marijuana. Alternatively, they might use pipes or add it to food or drinks to make it edible.
Nineteen states, as well as Washington, DC and Guam, have approved marijuana’s use, but it remains an illegal Schedule I controlled substance at the federal level.
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug. While some people feel that weed is safe, there has been a surge in overdoses due to people using marijuana that has been laced with potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl. These overdoses have occurred along the east coast of the United States in 2021.
What Is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a stimulant drug. Although its limited medical use in the United States makes it a Schedule II controlled substance, it is frequently illegally abused. When someone takes cocaine, they can feel euphoric, energetic and alert.
Despite the commonality of its use, cocaine is very dangerous. It is an addictive substance that stimulates the brain’s reward system, leading people to crave more of the drug. People who use cocaine, particularly in large amounts, may experience cardiovascular side effects, heart attacks, strokes, bleeding in the brain and psychological side effects like paranoia.
Can You Overdose on Cocaine and Weed?
It is possible to overdose on cocaine and weed. A cocaine overdose is often due to cardiovascular problems like heart attack or stroke. Because weed can increase heart rate and blood pressure, it can increase the stress on the cardiovascular system, potentially increasing the risk to your heart.
Further, weed can be laced with other substances, including high-potency opioids sold on the streets. For this reason, it is possible to accidentally overdose on the substances with which marijuana has been laced.
Summing Up — Cocaine and Weed
Cocaine and weed act very differently from one another on the brain and body, but that doesn’t mean they complement one another. In fact, the opposite is true.
If you mix cocaine and weed, you’re putting yourself in a dangerous situation and increasing the chances of serious complications such as stroke or heart attack. You’re also increasing your risk of overdose, dependence or addiction if you take cocaine and weed at the same time. You also risk these medications being laced with other drugs that can contribute to an overdose, like fentanyl.
The Recovery Village provides care to those struggling with cocaine. Reach out to one of our knowledgeable representatives today to learn how you can start on your path to recovery.
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