Ask a Stoner: Why Does Weed Make Me a Movie Snob?

Westword

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Dear Stoner: Why do I turn into such a movie snob when I get high? It’s like I’m way more critical when I watch TV after smoking.
Confused

Dear Confused: Everyone experiences the plant’s psychoactive effects differently, and that includes the changes in how we perceive music, art, literature and movies. Most people expect pot’s impact on your movie-watching abilities to consist solely of giggling at Jay and Silent Bob or slack-jawed bingeing of Stranger Things, but cannabis consumers can be more complicated than that. If in the mood, I can smoke a joint and love the shit out of some Good Burger or Friday, but I usually want something believable or well written, and can’t stand overacting or a ridiculous stunt the Rock pulls off.

click to enlarge

iStock/dcdp

We couldn’t find any studies on how consuming cannabis affects the way we watch movies, but there has been research on how it could change our creativity. According to a study published last year by Washington State University, cannabis “may enhance some aspects of creativity,” though “it is unclear whether differences in cannabis users’ personalities may account for any potentially beneficial effects.” So for now, it still depends on the user. Sorry, Charlie.

Send questions to [email protected].