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High notes: what locals listen to when they light up
Music just hits different when you're high
Lighting up a joint and pressing play on your device isn’t just a pastime—it’s a cherished ritual. From beachside longboarding to post-work wind-downs, locals who partake in cannabis say that music just sounds better when you’re high.
There’s a scientific basis for that feeling: a 2018 review published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that THC — the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis — can alter brain activity in regions involved in auditory processing, such as the auditory cortex. This may help explain why some music listeners report enhanced perception of sound while high.
But when I asked locals who were actually smoking pot, they said it was less about neurons and more about the vibe. At the recent Cannabis Cup event held at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista, I caught up with a few cannabis connoisseurs who shared what they’re listening to when the smoke session begins.
Chris Rivera, who works at the Trulieve dispensary, was backstage at the event’s concert stage puffing on a Pufco Proxy pipe with his wife and friends. “We have a smoking playlist,” he said. “Mista Grimm’s ‘Indo Smoke’ is at the top of that list, followed by Cheech and Chong’s ‘Up in Smoke’ movie songs and ‘B Girls’ by Young and Restless. It’s a nostalgic thing that brings you back to childhood,” Rivera added. “The music, and it’s shit that you used to do—like get high with an empty soda can and bud.”
Video:
Mista Grimm: Indo Smoke
Everybody in the circle laughed, then he passed the pipe to his wife and delivered a verse from “B-Girls,” singing, “B stands for Broncos, Benzes, BMWs, bass, bangles, and bars... like bars on a Cadillac Brougham.”
"B" also stands for Rivera's bud brethren, such as Norris Jarmon, who works at popular restaurants in Seaport Village and Little Italy and participated in the puff-puff-pass circle. After taking a drag and holding in a cough, Jarmon murmured, “‘Medicated’ by Wiz Khalifa featuring Juicy J (and Chevy Woods), and Cypress Hill’s ‘Illusions.’”
Video:
Wiz Khalifa: Medicated
Jarmon exhaled slowly, creating a big cloud of smoke, and passed the device. “And Method Man and Redman's ‘How High’—but the more chill one, not the hype version.” When we asked why he favored those particular hip-hop tracks, Jarmon, now pretty high, gave a more profound response. “It’s like there’s someone else like you, and they’re talking about getting high in a cool way," he continued. "Sometimes we feel like outcasts, but now, look around — there’s a lot of weed smokers. But there weren’t many of us outta the green closet at one time."
California legalized medical cannabis back in 1996 with Proposition 215. By late 2016, recreational use became legal with Proposition 64—ushering in a new era where smoking isn’t something to hide but something to share, celebrate, and even soundtrack. “So to hear someone back then on a major platform talking about smoking weed to that level,” he continued, “it’s like, ‘Hellzzz yah’—we like to smoke big and brag that we are smoking.”
Video:
Redman & Method Man: How High
Roberto Reyes wasn’t in the sesh circle—he was working that night, repping Cookies in Mission Valley and holding down a booth promoting their multi-state dispensary operation. “Lately, for me, it’s been ‘Circles on Figueroa St.’ by Big Sad 1900 and Iamm,” he said. “It’s an uplifting feeling. I like to smoke before I head out of the house. I’m on my longboard a lot, so I’m on the streets with my headphones on.” Reyes, who lives by the beach, also enjoys reggae. “'Waiting In Vain' by Bob Marley and the Wailers is for when I just want to relax and I’m looking at the ocean. Then I’ll listen to Berner — the song ‘Easy’ — when I’m on my way to work. I’m trying to focus; I’m trying to get motivated. Berner's got the ear for good beats.” Berner, rap artist and founder of Cookies, also performed at the event.
And while that 2018 NIH study warns that cannabis might overstimulate the brain’s sound processing, possibly leading to distraction, for many smokers, it’s just the opposite. One user on Reddit’s r/StonerThoughts page wrote, “Listening to music while high is like hearing with your soul.” Dozens of others echoed the sentiment: you hear instruments you never noticed before, feel the meaning in the lyrics more deeply, and vibe with the music in a more personal way. Ultimately, science may explain the “how,” but these San Diegans are living the “why.” It’s the beat, the bass, the memories — and the high.
How does cannabis change the way you hear music? Drop a comment and share your go-to songs when you spark up.
Video:
Berner: Easy
Here's something you might be interested in.
High notes: what locals listen to when they light up
Music just hits different when you're high
High notes: what locals listen to when they light up
Music just hits different when you're high
Lighting up a joint and pressing play on your device isn’t just a pastime—it’s a cherished ritual. From beachside longboarding to post-work wind-downs, locals who partake in cannabis say that music just sounds better when you’re high.
There’s a scientific basis for that feeling: a 2018 review published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that THC — the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis — can alter brain activity in regions involved in auditory processing, such as the auditory cortex. This may help explain why some music listeners report enhanced perception of sound while high.
But when I asked locals who were actually smoking pot, they said it was less about neurons and more about the vibe. At the recent Cannabis Cup event held at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista, I caught up with a few cannabis connoisseurs who shared what they’re listening to when the smoke session begins.
Chris Rivera, who works at the Trulieve dispensary, was backstage at the event’s concert stage puffing on a Pufco Proxy pipe with his wife and friends. “We have a smoking playlist,” he said. “Mista Grimm’s ‘Indo Smoke’ is at the top of that list, followed by Cheech and Chong’s ‘Up in Smoke’ movie songs and ‘B Girls’ by Young and Restless. It’s a nostalgic thing that brings you back to childhood,” Rivera added. “The music, and it’s shit that you used to do—like get high with an empty soda can and bud.”
Video:
Mista Grimm: Indo Smoke
Everybody in the circle laughed, then he passed the pipe to his wife and delivered a verse from “B-Girls,” singing, “B stands for Broncos, Benzes, BMWs, bass, bangles, and bars... like bars on a Cadillac Brougham.”
"B" also stands for Rivera's bud brethren, such as Norris Jarmon, who works at popular restaurants in Seaport Village and Little Italy and participated in the puff-puff-pass circle. After taking a drag and holding in a cough, Jarmon murmured, “‘Medicated’ by Wiz Khalifa featuring Juicy J (and Chevy Woods), and Cypress Hill’s ‘Illusions.’”
Video:
Wiz Khalifa: Medicated
Jarmon exhaled slowly, creating a big cloud of smoke, and passed the device. “And Method Man and Redman's ‘How High’—but the more chill one, not the hype version.” When we asked why he favored those particular hip-hop tracks, Jarmon, now pretty high, gave a more profound response. “It’s like there’s someone else like you, and they’re talking about getting high in a cool way," he continued. "Sometimes we feel like outcasts, but now, look around — there’s a lot of weed smokers. But there weren’t many of us outta the green closet at one time."
California legalized medical cannabis back in 1996 with Proposition 215. By late 2016, recreational use became legal with Proposition 64—ushering in a new era where smoking isn’t something to hide but something to share, celebrate, and even soundtrack. “So to hear someone back then on a major platform talking about smoking weed to that level,” he continued, “it’s like, ‘Hellzzz yah’—we like to smoke big and brag that we are smoking.”
Video:
Redman & Method Man: How High
Roberto Reyes wasn’t in the sesh circle—he was working that night, repping Cookies in Mission Valley and holding down a booth promoting their multi-state dispensary operation. “Lately, for me, it’s been ‘Circles on Figueroa St.’ by Big Sad 1900 and Iamm,” he said. “It’s an uplifting feeling. I like to smoke before I head out of the house. I’m on my longboard a lot, so I’m on the streets with my headphones on.” Reyes, who lives by the beach, also enjoys reggae. “'Waiting In Vain' by Bob Marley and the Wailers is for when I just want to relax and I’m looking at the ocean. Then I’ll listen to Berner — the song ‘Easy’ — when I’m on my way to work. I’m trying to focus; I’m trying to get motivated. Berner's got the ear for good beats.” Berner, rap artist and founder of Cookies, also performed at the event.
And while that 2018 NIH study warns that cannabis might overstimulate the brain’s sound processing, possibly leading to distraction, for many smokers, it’s just the opposite. One user on Reddit’s r/StonerThoughts page wrote, “Listening to music while high is like hearing with your soul.” Dozens of others echoed the sentiment: you hear instruments you never noticed before, feel the meaning in the lyrics more deeply, and vibe with the music in a more personal way. Ultimately, science may explain the “how,” but these San Diegans are living the “why.” It’s the beat, the bass, the memories — and the high.
How does cannabis change the way you hear music? Drop a comment and share your go-to songs when you spark up.
Video:
Berner: Easy