#20 - This Is Your Musical Brain On Marijuana

Have you ever noticed that music just hits differently when your high? In this episode of Instru(mental), we're diving into the surprisingly sparse, but curious body of research that explains how cannabis changes our musical experiences. Along the way, we'll touch on what mix of THC and CBD might enhance musical reward and what this might mean for clinicians working with people who listen to music under altered states of consciousness. Thank you to the sponsor of today's episode, Daniel Goldschmidt from Etude, LLC!References:Darakjian, L., Glassman, H., Lo, C. Y., & Russo, F. A. (2025). Exploring the interaction between cannabis and music. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1551, 140–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.70010Duggan, P. J. (2021). The chemistry of cannabis and cannabinoids. Australian Journal of Chemistry, 74(6), 369–387. https://doi.org/10.1071/CH21006 Freeman, T. P., Pope, R. A., Wall, M. B., Bisby, J. A., Luijten, M., Hindocha, C., Mokrysz, C., Lawn, W., Moss, A., Bloomfield, M. A. P., Morgan, C. J. A., Nutt, D. J., & Curran, H. V. (2018). Cannabis dampens the effects of music in brain regions sensitive to reward and emotion. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 21(1), 21–32. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyx082 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2025). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Publication No. PEP25-07-007, NSDUH Series H-60). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt56287/2024-nsduh-annual-national-report.pdf Tart, C. T. (1970). Marijuana intoxication: Common experiences. Nature, 226, 701–704. https://doi.org/10.1038/226701a0 ResourcesMarijuana AnonymousSupport the show