Many substances cause us to feel. Some substances are addictive others become habits. The high that comes with tobacco was the element that got me started smoking. I spent years smoking tobacco because I did not realize that the initial "high" would soon disappear leaving me addicted without the high.
An addiction is a substance that starts by providing a desired feeling which disappears while at the same time the body develops a need for the substance to remain even keeled. Marijuana or hemp causes a mellow feeling along with interesting imaginations. Marijuana is a habit because with repeated use it actually takes less to produce the same effect.
There are many other substances that cause feelings: alcohol, diazepam, steroids, cocaine, sugar, caffeine, are just a few of the substances used to bring about feelings.
There are three considerations in the use of substances that produces feelings- toxicity, legality, and benefits. Three substances, beer, coffee, and marijuana have similar levels of toxicity but differences in legal use and benefits. Beer is legally regulated. Marijuana is illegal. Coffee is unregulated. Beer is a good depressant. Marijuana an effective muscle relaxant. Coffee produces anxiety. Since marijuana is illegal and other effective muscle relaxants, such as diazepam, are available it is prudent to avoid marijuana in the USA.
Some people think that when a substance is refined it becomes more dangerous. Cocaine is an example of increased danger when coca leaves are refined. The Peruvian natives who grow coca leaves have chewed the leaves for centuries without serious harm. Cocaine, the refined street drug, can be fatal. Tryptophane, the substance in turkey that leads to sleepy Thanksgiving Day afternoons shows some harsher effects when refined and sold as a sleeping pill. When considering the use of a substance that influences feelings it is wise to let others do the experimenting. Sometimes the harmful side effects take a long time to appear.