Can You Smoke Weed Before a Tattoo?

Much like sex and rock and roll, there’s an innate association between smoking pot and getting a tattoo. Or at least that’s the general perception of tattoos for some people. The reality is most users recommend getting their tattoos fully sober and sharing the joint after the inking session.

There are a few niche scenarios and moments where having a few tokes could be useful. Some people could even benefit if they have situations like constant tremors or feel way too uncomfortable with needles but still want a tattoo.

If you want to get the full dip, whether you should get a few tokes before your inking or afterward, we’ve gathered a few key concepts you might find useful to make your decision. We have a few insights to cover, so let’s explore the old match of weed and tattoos together.

Contents

Key Takeaways
Benefits of Cannabis Before Tattooing
Possible Side Effects of Smoking Before Tattoos
Does Weed Help With Tattoo Pain
Should you Take Edibles Before Tattooing
Is a Post-Tattoo Smoking Better?
Looking for some Cannabis Products to Take the Edge Off?

Key Takeaways

Having weed before a tattoo can provide comfort and relax you for some users, but having a chat with your artist and getting their agreement to work in that condition is pretty important.
Some potential benefits of a few puffs before an inking session include reducing tremors, the sensation of pain, distracting yourself from hyper-fixating, and reducing stress levels.
People with tattoo anxiety might find relief from consuming cannabis but consider using small doses or full spectrum formulas.
It is recommended to get a tattoo sober and smoking after it, as it can help with pain and distract yourself from picking at your healing area.

Benefits of Cannabis Before Tattooing

Everyone’s body reacts differently to tattooing. And frequent cannabis users might feel a little more comfortable having a few tokes before a session. Just make sure your tattoo artist agrees to work with you in these conditions, as it might be difficult to work with someone who’s not sober due to poor situations like panic or anxiety.

That said, if you are a frequent weed consumer and want to try it out, there are a few benefits of having a spliff before your session. Here are some benefits that users have said helped them in their inking.

Stop Shaking in People with Tremor Issues

Some people might have issues with shaking when they see needles or even get random tremors due to being scared of the process. Thanks to weed, specifically delta 8 and delta 9, THC can act as a sedative, relaxing your system and allowing you to relax while the artist works.

Reduce Your Sensation of Pain

One of the biggest potential benefits of many forms of THC is aiding as a pain relief alternative. If your skin is relatively sensitive or you feel like the needle is too harsh against your skin, having a few clouds of smoke before the session could potentially support the situation.

Distracts from Hyper-Fixation

Some people, specially neurodivergent folks, can get an intense fixation and start to feel uncomfortable very quickly. Inking can feel alien and dangerous at first, potentially making your mind block all other stimuli but the puncturing. If you could get a hyper fixation on the inking process and feel pressured by it, you could support this with a few puffs before the session.

May Reduce Stress Levels

Much like hyper fixation, people can get stressed while waiting for the artist to finish. Sometimes you have to stay in the same position for minutes or hours, making things even more difficult and potentially spiraling down the overthinking lane. Lighting up your joint before inking has made some users chill out, which could be useful too.

Tattoo Anxiety

Lastly, people can get anxiety and up-the-roof stress levels before a tattooing session. Talk with your artist first and bring up the possibility of consuming cannabis to relax, just make sure to keep yourself centered and relax and go for lower-dose THC edibles or vaping pens.

Possible Side Effects of Smoking Before Tattoos

While smoking before your session could be helpful to some, especially regular weed users, new and sensitive users could get the opposite. Side effects can be pretty annoying or even change your inking experience, so let’s explore a few possible side effects before making your choice.

Impact Your Decision-Making or Ability to Understand the Tattoo Process

Since you’ll probably feel intoxicated after getting some tokes, you might not fully understand the process of getting inked or the aftercare requirements. You might even decide to get that Chinese dragon that would get your nana faint because you are now aware of the process, hence why it might be prejudicial.

Have Adverse Effects and Cause an Increase in Anxiety

One of the side effects of delta 9 THC is feeling more anxious or getting stressed pretty quickly. Get this together with the possible nervousness of getting tattooed and you might be close to worse stress than you could’ve originally.

Cause Memory Loss which Leads to you Being Disappointed in your Placement or Completed Piece

If you are not sober during the inking process, you might feel like the preliminary result, and the one you see at home differ completely. This is why staying conscious and sticking to small doses is important when having a tattoo, as you’ll need to have all your senses to appreciate and sometimes correct something from the piece.

May Lead to an Increase in Blood Pressure

Much like anxiety, some people might feel an increase in their blood pressure when consuming cannabis. While not lethal, this could pretty much break the experience by making you feel tired, drowsy, and even get a headache, which could arguably make you hate getting tattoos altogether thanks to a skippable condition.

Does Weed Help With Tattoo Pain

Seeing both sides of the coin, it is actually recommended to have a few tokes after you have your tattoo. So to answer this, yes, weed can definitely help with pain and feeling uncomfortable with your new ink.

While we don’t recommend using topical CBD or THC products until you can remove your healing patch, a few tokes of your favorite vape or a gummy can be a pretty good way to pass the time.

Some users prefer this method as opposed to smoking before the session as they can relax at home and forget about the pain or the possible need to scratch the tattooed area. But in general, thanks to THC’s analgesic properties, you can potentially support pain and general inflammation relief with hemp-derived products.

Should you Take Edibles Before Tattooing

There are many things to do while having an edible; sadly, getting tattooed is not one of our top choices. Since edibles are much stronger than tinctures or vaping, side effects could be more frequent and make you make a poor decision or feel more anxious than relaxed.

Now, if you don’t like smoking, there are two ways we can think of that you could have a gummy. First, you could microdose. This means having a smaller dose than usual to have all the potential therapeutic effects without the potential high.

The second way is to get a lower potency product with a full spectrum formula. By adding other non-psychoactive cannabinoids to the mix, you could feel less high yet very relaxed. CBD and delta 8 THC can help to diminish the side effects of delta 9 THC, meaning this formula could aid users that feel like having an edible is mandatory before the inking.

Is a Post-Tattoo Smoking Better?

Yes! We definitely recommend users smoke post their tattooing session for a variety of reasons. Besides aiding with inflammation and pain relief, it can help you take your mind off trying to pick off skin or touch your healing patch.

Furthermore, some tattooing laws in different states prohibit the consumption of substances during your inking. While not all states have a particular regulation on weed and tattoos, most artists will advise you to get your ink sober to make it a fully conscious process.

In the end, the safe bet is to wait till it is over to get your smoke. And even better, you could ask your artist and invite them for some puffs as thanks for a job well done, provided they agree to it and they are done for the day.

Whatever the final scenario, post-tattoo smoking has a lot fewer disadvantages and risks than smoking or having an edible before the session. Consume at your own risk and talk with your artist beforehand to explore all the possibilities that you both can agree on.

Looking for some Cannabis Products to Take the Edge Off?

If you want some products to take your mind off the possible effects after being uncomfy all day, you can always try some delta-9-infused gummies.

Our Full Spectrum Delta 9 Gummies are a perfect way to unwind while also lifting your mind from scratching your arm. The gummies have about 10mg of our sweet delta 9 THC extract, and when paired with the other 15mg of mixed cannabinoids, including CBD and delta 8 THC, you’ll feel relaxed in no time.

These are available in six delicious flavors: luscious Peach Gelato, tropical and feisty Kiwi Burst, a sweet and sour combo with Blue Dream, tasty Strawberry Shortcake, and the always refreshing Pink Lemonade.

If you would prefer actual tokes to relieve some of the itchiness and pain, try the HHC disposable pens from our Dart XL line. These skip the hassle of cleaning up and work like a charm on the go, perfect for discreet tokes with their hefty two full grams of HHC per pen.

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