Learning While High

Observations from the Classroom

During my time as a music production lecturer, I encountered many students—diagnosed and undiagnosed—with ADHD. They often struggled with motivation, focus, and emotional regulation, leading to restlessness and classroom disruptions.

Interestingly, after breaks, some students returned visibly calmer and more focused—often after smoking cannabis. For around 30–60 minutes, they appeared more grounded, creative, and productive, using that window to engage deeply in their work.

The challenge, of course, was that once the second phase of the high set in, focus and energy dropped sharply. Students became lethargic and disengaged. Still, this observation raised an important question:

Can cannabis, when properly dosed and controlled, serve as a short-term aid for emotional and behavioural regulation in young people with attention-related challenges?

This question led me to theorise potential ways to integrate controlled, micro-dosed cannabis use into structured learning environments.

'ASSASSIN OF YOUTH' (1937) | PROPAGANDA MOVIE POSTER | THE HEMP MUSEUM, BARCELONA

Cohen (1985) noted that people under the influence of cannabis tend to learn more slowly than those who are sober, and that information learned while high is best recalled when high again. This aligns with the temporary short-term memory impairment cannabis induces.

When high, individuals may forget instructions, lose their train of thought, or speak incoherently. Yet, this doesn’t mean the learning is lost—it’s simply inaccessible during that altered state. Alcohol causes similar, if not worse, cognitive disruption, yet society treats it far more leniently despite its links to violence, accidents, and thousands of deaths annually.

By contrast, no one has ever died directly from cannabis overdose.

'DOPED YOUTH' (1936) | ANTI MARIJUANA PROPAGANDA POSTER | THE HEMP MUSEUM, BARCELONA