Whether waking up for work on a weekday or stumbling out of bed on a lazy weekend morning, caffeine – whether coffee, tea or another caffeinated beverage – is usually a big part of those mornings. And for some of us, so is cannabis – whether weed, vape, edibles or other intake methods. So for us, marijuana and caffeine just go together!

But you may be wondering what the effects of coffee and weed might be. Of course it’s not dangerous, but what do the effects of each complement, contraindicate or even cancel each other out? And though it’s not dangerous, what are the health considerations?

The Short Answer

While there isn’t much conclusive research since marijuana is still classified as a schedule 1 drug according to the federal government (therefore no substantial research funding or endorsements), what we do know is that overall it’s not dangerous to mix caffeine and weed. And I can personally attest that it’s completely safe to mix caffeine and weed. Most of my weekend mornings are spend catching up on my shows with a cup o’ joe and my vape pen!

But still, with both coffee – or tea, energy drink or other forms of caffeine – and weed being the most popular psychotropic (meaning they affect how we think and feel) products in the world, there are some interesting effects with combining the two.

Opposite Ends of the Spectrum

For a lot of us, mornings just wouldn’t be the same without a cup or two of coffee. Everything from instant coffee when you’re rushed to a jumbo specialty coffee when you’re feeling fancy the extra perk and jolt that coffee gives is almost a ritual for us coffee drinkers. For most people the effects of coffee are uplifting, alertness and even energizing – and the same is true for other caffeinated drinks like tea, soda and energy drinks. Regardless the beverage, we love the boost that caffeine gives us.

Then, on almost the complete opposite of the spectrum, is weed that is generally known as a relaxant. For some, the end of the day or chill time wouldn’t be the same without some weed. And for the medical marijuana patient, their day and well-being wouldn’t be same with out their cannabis medication. And regardless of the type of user, for most marijuana has a (very) calming effect that make us feel opposite of how caffeine makes us feel.

What happens when you mix a relaxant with a stimulant?

From my personal experience, when I smoke or vape weed (my current intake method) and drink coffee (which I love), I feel alert and awake though I still feel chill and relaxed. I tend to have short-term memory loss from weed (for which I have some self-taught techniques to manage, but that’s for another post) and what I find is that this short-term memory loss doesn’t really get any better with coffee. Meaning, the alertness I get from coffee is only physical when I’m smoke weed.

I should note that one of the several reason I use marijuana is that my mind races – sort of like ADD, though I’ve never been tested – and weed helps my sometimes-scattered thoughts to flow more evenly. When I drink coffee without having smoked those thoughts only scatter more rapidly. So I tend to smoke when I drink coffee, unless it’s that first wake-up cup in the morning.

There have also been some studies done here and there (again, not easy to do widespread studies with the current federal classification of weed) that suggest that caffeine may even enhance the short-term memory loss. But what has been concluded in the little research that’s been done is that a little caffeine may extend your high. Which is great news for the dual coffee-weed user – like me!

What we do know is that both caffeine and marijuana – particularly the THC component – give us feelings of euphoria and using both at the same time just might augment those euphoric feelings. To what degree they might work synergistically together has yet to be studied, but at least we know the two won’t cancel the good feelings they give us!

Start Low and Go Slow

This is probably not the first time you’ve heard this mantra – and it won’t be the last! When starting off with marijuana, or bringing something that has its own mind-expanding properties – like caffeine – just ease into it slowly and see how your body responds to the addition. Also, keep in mind that both caffeine and weed might have delayed effects – particularly if you’re digesting your cannabis.

Another mantra you will hear more than once is: everybody’s bodies are unique as is their response to marijuana – and caffeine. A logic conclusion to that could be that the combination of marijuana and caffeine in whatever amount will have a unique effect on each of us. And as always, check with your budtender – they can help guide you!

Not All Caffeine Beverages are the Same

Coffee and tea are so wildly used and available, general usage of these two with or without marijuana usually produce any adverse effects. Not the same can be said about some energy drinks, though.

There are many reputably energy drink companies out there, but there are also some shady one – especially those that can be found on on the internet. Just be wary of those drinks (we say, in general) when mixing with marijuana. We would even go as far as saying it’s not a great idea.