There was a selfish element to it, of course; I wanted to enjoy the match in a different way, since Cannabis heightens your perception of things around you. I didn’t fancy playing whilst feeling the THC effects, so observing felt like a much better option.

I was excitedly telling everyone I knew that I was trying a cookie for the first time, kind of like a six-year-old would announce to people if they were eating cake or chocolate. The general responses were the same; and consisted of two main pieces of advice:

“It’s strong, so don’t take too much.”
“It takes a few hours to kick in, so don’t eat more after twenty minutes.”

Due to my size, I’m quite a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. This definitely works to my advantage as it ends up being a cheap night out now I know my capabilities. But yeah, give me three drinks, and I’m anybodys.

Because of this, I was fully aware that even though the sign at the counter said it was strong and recommended to take half a cookie, I would probably only need a quarter and, I’d be set. So I took a picture of the discreet yet stylish packaging, and then got ready to nibble.

I had a bit, then played a game with the local pro. I lost, but I played well. So obviously, I retired at the top of my game and took a seat. Both players were shooting at an exceptional standard, so it was great to watch, absorb how they played certain shots and chat with my mate between shots.

Fifty or so minutes had gone by, so I ate a bit more of the cookie and sat back down. Then about ten minutes later, a few friends had came by to say hello. It was good, but I was slowly beginning to be aware I wasn’t 100% sober anymore. I thought to myself that the cookie was kicking in, and to be wary of what I said and pay attention to my actions a bit more as I didn’t want to embarrass myself.

Another ten minutes went by.

The cookie was well and truly kicking in now and I was feeling great. I was super mellow, and I was really enjoying the pool match. However, I was also fully aware that I was on the cusp of being really high, and then it suddenly occurred to me.

You see, with alcohol, you know you are about to go over the edge and sensibility kicks in. You tell yourself to slow down a bit and drink some water until you grab your bearings in an hour or so. I, however, had made the rookie error of eating the cookie in increments, despite being aware of the implications and numerous people warning me of this. Now I was in a concerning situation where I had hit the level of high I wanted, but had zero control over stopping the high from getting stronger, nor did I know when the high was going to stop continuously kicking in. I looked around and saw about forty people, and thought maybe it wasn’t the best idea to do this in a public place.

“Oh no, what am I going to do…?” I pondered to myself as I wondered whether I could even stand up. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself and was unsure if I could walk across the room to get a glass of water without looking like a stumbling drunk.

Eventually, I settled on going to the toilet and making myself sick. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make myself throw up, no matter how hard I tried and had to accept this experience was going to happen in a very public place. I splashed water on my eyes, and this seemed to help, then I decided I just needed to get out of there and go home.

I told my friend, and he understood, telling me to message him when I got home. When I got outside, the fresh air hit me, and I felt better, but I was still obviously quite high and fully aware I was high. Eventually, I got home and almost instantly felt better, knowing that if a third or fourth wave of the cookie were going to kick in any second now, then I would be safe at home, and not embarrass myself publicly. Well, no more than I had already done anyway.

The good news is that moment at the restaurant was the final hit, so to speak, so I didn’t get any higher than that. The buzz itself was amazing, but the inexperience of not knowing how or when to stop gave me an uneasy feeling of not being in control, which ultimately made me bail on the idea of enjoying the moment and just getting home.

You may be wondering why I am telling you this, as this is a magazine promoting the benefits of medical Cannabis consumption. Surely in the grand scheme of things, this was actually a bad experience, right?

Not at all.
In fact, this was probably the best-case scenario…

I have said time and time again about this magazine, that the primary focus is education. Marijuana is a mind-altering compound just like sugar, caffeine and alcohol. As with the other three mentioned examples, you can’t just take them blindly and hope for the best; you need to know how to mix them, how much to take and essentially understand how to work with it to reap the optimal rewards.

I made the cardinal sin of eating a bit of a cookie, stopping, and eating more several times in the space of an hour. The average person wouldn’t think twice as it is a natural reaction (‘I’m not feeling anything, and it’s been a while; I better take some more’.) whereas seasoned Cannabis users would read that, put their hands on their heads and exclaim, “Oh no! What are you doing!?!?”