Why Some People Still Hide Their High, The Hidden Side of Cannabis Culture That No One Wants to Talk About

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Let’s keep it real. Cannabis is legal, accessible, and literally sold next to scented candles in some stores, yet people are still acting like smoking a joint is a covert operation. You would think society would be over this by now. Instead, you still have grown adults stashing gummies in vitamin bottles and putting eye drops in before family dinner like they are living in a sitcom from 2004.

It is wild because cannabis culture has never been louder. We have THC seltzers, infused chocolates, terp talk on TikTok, budtenders who know more about your wellness than your doctor, and grandmas microdosing before church. But stigma has a chokehold. It clings to weed like a bad memory, refusing to die no matter how many states legalize it or how many people say it helps their sleep, their stress, or their sanity.

The truth is this. People are not hiding their high because of the plant. They are hiding because of the people around them. Corporate bosses with outdated mindsets. Family members who still think weed is a moral failure. Social circles where drinking three glasses of wine is fine, but saying you took a five-milligram gummy is scandalous. Even in a world where cannabis is normalized, the pressure to look clean, professional, and respectable is still very real.

At this point, the stigma is starting to feel more outdated than a BlackBerry.

Corporate Culture Still Has People Whispering Their Weekend Smoke Sessions

Workplaces love to brag about their wellness initiatives, but mention cannabis and watch the energy shift. Even in industries overflowing with stress, caffeine addiction, and burnout, cannabis is still treated like a character flaw. Employees keep their consumption quiet to avoid judgment from bosses who still believe weed equals lazy. Never mind that half the office is running on anxiety and three cold brews.

The wild part is that so many high-performing leaders use cannabis. They will not say it publicly. Corporate culture still rewards the image of someone who is endlessly productive, endlessly available, and endlessly wired. Admitting you unwind with a joint does not fit that picture, even though it is healthier than half the coping mechanisms hiding behind “work hard play hard” culture.

Family Culture Keeps the Shame Cycle Alive

A lot of weed shame starts at home. People grow up hearing that cannabis ruins your life, blocks your future, or turns you into someone who will never achieve anything. Those narratives stick, even when they are entirely disconnected from the real world. For many families, weed is still associated with rebellion, failure, or criminality. So adults end up hiding their cannabis use from the same people who raised them, just to keep the peace.

What makes it weirder is that many parents who shame weed are taking prescription meds that have more side effects than an entire dispensary menu. But the second they hear you took an edible to sleep, it suddenly becomes a tragedy.

Misinformation, Fear, and Old Stereotypes Keep Stigma Alive

Weed stigma survives for a reason. Three reasons, actually.

1. Old narratives still have power

For decades, we were fed misinformation about cannabis. People grew up being told it destroys ambition and leads people down a dark path. Even when people know better now, those early messages stick in the back of the mind.

2. People do not want to be judged for coping

Alcohol is socially acceptable. Coffee is treated like a personality trait. Cannabis, on the other hand, is still something people feel pressured to justify. They feel like they need a medical reason or a socially acceptable excuse just to relax.

3. Stigma has always targeted specific communities

Let’s be honest. Cannabis stigma has always hit Black and brown communities harder. Now that cannabis is a trendy wellness product marketed by influencers, society wants to pretend that history never happened. But that history is exactly why the stigma still lingers. It was built into the system.

Final Puff: Cannabis Is Normal and the Shame Is Not

Cannabis does not make people lazy. It does not ruin careers. It does not break families apart. What breaks people is shame. Feeling like you need to hide a part of your life to avoid judgment is exhausting and unnecessary. The stigma is the real problem. Not the plant.

The world is moving forward whether people like it or not. Cannabis is not going anywhere. The shame needs to.