Blazed — Cannabis Slang Definition

To be blazed is to be heavily under the effects of cannabis — a stronger descriptor than stoned. Popularized by 1990s hip-hop and stoner films.

Last verified: April 2026

Definition

Blazed (adjective) describes a high-intensity cannabis high — noticeably more altered than “stoned” or “baked.” A blazed person may be giggly, mentally slowed, red-eyed, reality-warped, and in no condition to do much of anything except laugh.

Etymology & Origin

The verb to blaze — meaning to smoke cannabis — is attested in American English from at least the late 1980s. The transition from fire-related verb to cannabis verb is direct: to blaze something is to set it on fire, and a joint is literally set on fire. The past-participle adjective “blazed” (the state you end up in after blazing) emerged in the same era.

The term was popularized by 1990s hip-hop — Cypress Hill’s “Hits from the Bong” (1993), Method Man & Redman’s entire catalog, and Dr. Dre’s The Chronic (1992) all used “blaze” freely. The 2001 stoner film How High (starring Method Man and Redman) encoded “blazed” into mainstream film dialogue. By the 2000s, “blaze it” had become a freestanding call-and-response pairing with “420.”

Usage

  • “We got blazed before the concert.”
  • “He’s too blazed to go to Chipotle, he’ll order the wrong thing.”
  • “4/20, blaze it.” (the stock internet joke)

Register: “blazed” carries slightly more youth-culture energy than “stoned.” More likely in a dorm or on social media; less likely at a dinner party.

Related Terms

See stoned, baked, and zooted.