Ask a Stoner: Mixing Marijuana and Melatonin

Dear Stoner: I always have a hard time falling asleep at night, but I’ve been mixing weed and melatonin to good results. Are there any side effects that have been discovered from that combination?
Shurr

Dear Shurr: Of course there are side effects! There are side effects to smoking weed, even if we enjoy most of them – but droopy eyes and dizziness are both very real, and mixing cannabis with melatonin can exacerbate them. 

Humans naturally produce melatonin, and research suggests that smoking cannabis increases our melatonin levels. So smoking weed while taking melatonin supplements is a double whammy that should knock out anyone while also increasing the likelihood and impact of side effects, including drowsiness, impairment and loss of cognition. Regularly pumping that much melatonin into your body can create a hormone imbalance or disruption, as well.

We all have nights where our eyes just won’t stay shut and we need a little help, but go with one thing or the other, not both. If that much help is required to fall asleep on a consistent basis, then you could be facing deeper issues.

Send questions to marijuana@westword.com.