The Power of Music and Cannabis

Thought I write and see what others thought about marijuana and the struggle for a less enforced planet. Music is a great way to find that message and it is what particularly drove me to this thought.


I have listened to a whole lot of music sober and high and can tell you the intensity of music when high is out of this world. Of course, I lean towards classic rock artists in mostly the 60's and the 90's rebirth of nice mix of rock bands. Though I love blues, jazz, and even bluegrass. R&B and rap is cool, but wouldn't be my first choices to listen to personally when I am high. Much of that is personal preference, but no one can deny that bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Eagles, and so many more, Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joe Reed gave you those nice smooth stoner tunes. In the 90's, bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, The Melvins, Soundgarden, U2, and even guys like John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan (yeah, even the 90's Bob Dylan was still in the list), soft rock like Goo Goo Dolls, Wallflowers, K"s-Choice, and Coldplay. Everyone of these bands got influenced and inspired when they were high. It speaks volumes in their tunes.

If your interested and wish to share your opinion on a band I didn't mention make a comment below!



The amazing thing about music is that even classical music like Mozart, Bach, and even John Williams stimulate something in your brain when your high. Personally I have always been fascinated by the mind and the potential that we very well might have the powers to control in the the future. So I did some interesting research I wanted to share with everyone:

1. It has been widely revered that music is a gift that teaches all of humanity that peace can exist if we just listen.
2. Music surrounds us and we wouldn't have it any other way. An exhilarating orchestral crescendo can bring tears to our eyes and send shivers down our spines. Background swells add emotive punch to movies and TV shows. Organists at ballgames bring us together, cheering, to our feet. Parents croon soothingly to infants. -quote from Norman M. Weinberger (accomplished author)-
3. Musical training has been shown to aid memory. Altenmuller et al. studied the difference between active and passive musical instruction and found both that over a longer (but not short) period of time, the actively taught students retained much more information than the passively taught students. The actively taught students were also found to have greater cerebral cortex activation. It should also be noted that the passively taught students weren’t wasting their time; they, along with the active group, displayed greater left hemisphere activity, which is typical in trained musicians.
4. The cognitive neuroscience of musicis the scientific study of brain-based mechanisms involved in the cognitive processes underlying music. These behaviours include music listening, performing, composing, reading, writing, and ancillary activities. It also is increasingly concerned with the brain basis for musical aesthetics and musical emotion. Scientists working in this field may have training in cognitive neuroscience, neurology, neuroanatomy, psychology, music theory, computer science, and other allied fields.Cognitive neuroscience of music is distinguished from related fields such as music psychology, music cognition and cognitive musicology in its reliance on direct observations of the brain, using such techniques as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG), and positron emission tomography (PET).
5. "It was in these bordellos, where music provided the background and not the primary focus of attention, that marihuana became an integral part of the jazz era. Unlike booze, which dulled and incapacitated, marihuana enabled musicians whose job required them to play long into the night to forget their exhaustion. Moreover, the drug seemed to make their music sound more imaginative and unique, at least to those who played and listened while under its sensorial influence." Jazz Historian Ernest Abel

Effects of Music on the Mental State
There are times when you feel depressed. Feelings of gloom and inadequacy fill your mind and carrying out even the daily activities becomes difficult. Depression reduces brain activity and hampers the mind's ability to plan and execute tasks. Lack of the neurotransmitter, Serotonin, leads to a depressed state of mind. Soothing musical notes help increase the Serotonin levels of the brain, thus alleviating mental depression.

Anxiety is associated with an upcoming event that may have an unknown outcome. It may lead to sleeplessness and other anxiety disorders. Music plays a vital role in calming the nerves and soothing one's mind. Flat musical notes induce sleep, while natural notes provide make the mind alert.
Music is found to affect the process of learning and thinking. If work is accompanied by quiet and soothing music, it helps the listener think, analyze and work faster in a more efficient manner. Music develops a positive attitude in the listeners and provides them with motivation. Surveys have shown that music brings about remarkable improvements in the academic skills of students, who are made to listen to certain kinds of music while studying or working in the lab. Listening to pleasant music, while doing a difficult task, can make it seem easier.
Music has a positive effect on the interpersonal skills of an individual. Failures that we face in life are often the result of lack of confidence and lack of desire to learn. Students obtaining poor school grades do not necessarily lack intelligence. Their poor academic results are often an outcome of their lack of motivation and their disinterest. Music lessons during school can help the students fight their mental block. Music proves helpful in encouraging young children to venture new fields. It helps them develop the confidence needed to achieve success in life.


Effects of Music on the Brain
Music has a positive effect on the concentration level of the listeners. It is also found to improve one's memory. Research has found that the silence between two musical notes triggers the brain cells and neurons, which are responsible for the development of sharp memory. Flute music, and instruments like santoor and sarod are recommended for the enhancement of concentration and memory. Strong beats cause the brain waves to resonate in synch with the beat bringing about higher levels of concentration and alertness.

Music plays a vital role in enhancing creativity. Music has a positive impact on the right side of the brain. Music triggers the brain centers, which deal with the development of creativity. Certain ragas are known to activate all the chakras of the listener's body, thus benefiting him/her in the performance of other creative tasks.
Music is found to give students the capacity to trust themselves. It provides them with an internal discipline. Rhythm is known to help students learn math. Music stimulates the brain centers that deal with thinking, analyzing and planning, thus enhancing one's organizational skills.

Music helps secrete endorphins that help in speeding the process of healing. It acts as an effective distraction from pain and suffering. While diverting one's mind away from pain, it also helps bring about certain chemical processes in the brain that aid healing. After undergoing surgery, patients may be advised to undergo a music therapy. Listening to melodious, comforting music is sure to have a positive effect on the physical and mental well-being of patients.


How does Music Affect your Mood?
Some look at music as a hobby; for some music is their passion, while some pursue music as their career. Music has a direct influence on your mood. Book stores, restaurants and shopping malls often keep some music playing in the background. The kind of music they choose to play depends on the kind of audiences they target. Music is found to enhance customer experience. Music being played in malls and restaurants peps up the mood of customers. People tend to spend more time in the mall or hotel that plays pleasant music. Music brightens up the atmosphere around you and is sure to cheer you up. Sad tunes often bring tears to the eyes. Cheerful songs brighten up your mood. Different types of tunes are seen to create different kinds of moods and arouse different kinds of emotions in different people.



How Does Classical Music Affect the Brain
The two significant elements of classical music that make it so intensely appealing, are its rhythm and melody. The rhythm acts like a stimulant for the brain while the melody sparks up your mind. Melody and rhythm when combined together affect the performance and organization of the brain in the positive direction.

Exposing your child to classical music can also bring about significant changes in his brain. The IQ of your child is boosted up and his grasping power is also enhanced. Effects of classical music on babies has been reported with development of superior skills and talents. Infants brought up in an ambiance of different forms of classical music, like Beethoven's symphony, Mozart's piano or Hindustani classical music have higher spatial IQ. Considerable improvement in functioning of the neurons was observed that further sharpens their knowledge and intellect level. In short, the melody of classical music refines their ability to understand things.


Conclusion

Well if all of this wasn't enough to prove that a brain can function at higher levels listening to music and that marijuana can even further your artistic talents associated with music I am not sure what will? All I know, is I wrote this baked listening to Joe Cocker, Tupac ft. Nas Thugz Mansion acoustic version, Howard Shores Lord of the Rings soundtrack, and Mozart's Requiem.

Please leave a comment and share with us your favorite musicians and why they unlock your passion and desires in life. Below I wish to leave you on of the best 2hrs you'll ever spend in your life. Take some time and smoke a bowl and hit play below...