by Dan Ketchum

When he first tasted a peanut butter cup in 349 BC, Aristotle said, “ah, two great tastes that go great together.” That’s the whole reason we have chicken and waffles, sweet and sour sauce, and that kind of peanut butter that already has jelly mixed in. It’s probably also why getting crossfaded is a thing in the first place. 

But are you still getting crossed like you’re a college freshman? Tough Mama would like to have a word with you about that. 

What Is Crossfaded? 

OK, it’s time to get all Urban Dictionary in here. Being crossfaded, a.ka. getting crossed, is a pretty simple state of being. According to most stoners’ definition, it’s just being high and drunk at the same time. Of course, it’s a slang term, so Merriam-Webster hasn’t chimed in or anything, but some people get a little more specific and say that crossfading is the act of being high and drunk in equal measure (how those people precisely measure highness and intoxication is anybody’s guess). 

And if you’re wondering if it’s just a stupid myth your friend who’s a career roadie always talks about, rest assured that it’s a real thing. The journal Cannabis even published a study in 2018 to see how many young people knew about getting crossfaded (though they hyphenated it as “cross-fading” just to make sure stoners would make fun of them). And a whopping 87% of the people asked had heard of it. But why’s the idea so popular, and should you get into it?   

Getting Crossed the Right Way 

You’re a grown-up now. You’re drinking legally, you’re smoking weed legally. You know the difference between top-shelf cannabis and straight-up reggie weed. We support you going hard, but if you’re gonna get crossfaded, you gotta do it with some self-respect (and a touch of safety) at this point in your journey. And also — no joke — with a touch of science. Turns out, Harvard Medical School’s Scott Lukas has done a couple of studies on how marijuana and alcohol interact with each other in your body. Now, everybody’s body is different in how it responds to weed and booze, but Scott found that smoking weed when you’re drunk has a higher likelihood of inducing dizziness and vomiting. Or, you know, feeling like shit.

Here’s the golden discovery, though. One of his studies found when you’re high first and then drink alcohol, it can just about double the THC levels in your bloodstream, taking you from “real high” to “mega f**cking high.” That’s because alcohol can potentially increase the blood’s ability to absorb THC.  

Did you wake up expecting to get a Harvard perspective on crossfading today? Probably not, but you’re welcome. The trick here is the order of operations — just like your tío says, “weed then beer, you’re in the clear” — and focusing on staying buzzed, not f**cked out of your mind. That means not greening out, and not getting trashed, but complementing a nice light booze buzz with a couple of puffs. Do it right and that pleasant tipsiness mingles with your high so that you feel the complementary effects of both while the alcohol actually enhances the impact of the weed. 

Be Safe, Mama Loves You

Look, you know Tough Mama is all about getting uber stoned, so now’s a good time to remind you that we also care about taking care of your shit. You’re obviously not going to overdose on THC, but too much booze can wreck your central nervous system and mobility. And while we seriously don’t recommend mixing weed with booze, we’re grown-up enough to know that it’s just gonna happen sometimes.

So, if you are  going to experiment with getting crossed, save it for when your ganja tolerance is high (if you’re reading at Tough Mama, it probably already is), do it in a safe space among friends, and don’t do stupid shit like driving or operating a combine harvester, or weedeating your front yard, or whatever.

Always hydrate when you’re smoking or drinking, and hydrate even more when you’re getting crossed. It’ll help you maintain a buzz rather than nurture a bender, and you’ll appreciate it in the morning. If it gets to be too much, find a cool place to (literally) chill, as alcohol can cause your body to overheat. Don’t be afraid to call it a night with a big thermos of H20 and a long nap in a cool spot if crossfading just doesn’t agree with you.

Crossfading, Evolved 

As the company with the skateboarding gorilla for a mascot (love ya, Mama), we know a thing or two about evolution. With the rise of absolutely ass-kicking cannabis infused beverages, getting crossfaded might have just grown up right alongside you. And that means you can have the experience of smoking (or vaping) and drinking (or doing shots), while cutting alcohol out of the equation and focusing entirely on cannabis. 

Take Tough Mama’s own Yolo Shotz. Because each fruit-flavored bottle is packed with 100MG of Hi-Phi solventless cured resin, you’ll feel a euphoric high that sets in about 7-to-15 minutes after you take your shot or sip your Shotz-infused canna-cocktail (one bottle does about 20 cocktails or 10 shots for only $15 a pop, too, so it’s a lot cheaper than stocking up on Cîroc.) It’s one way to reach that state of crossfaded ecstasy, but without the voms and hangovers.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s the real grown-up way to get crossfaded — which is to say not getting crossed at all. 

(But still getting real high.)