“Many people I know smoke weed while they’re drinking alcohol and some of them seem to get really sick as a result. I’ve heard people call this ‘crossfading’. Is this related to the ‘Beer and grass, you’re on your arse, grass and beer, you’re in the clear’ rhyme that people talk about?”
Although ‘crossfading’ can refer to using multiple substances at the same time in an attempt to intensify their effects, it’s usually used to describe the combination of two specific drugs – alcohol and cannabis. Put simply, it usually refers to the overlapping effects of being drunk and stoned at the same time.
First appearing on the Urban Dictionary website in 2005, it’s a relatively new term. Like so much drug slang, it can mean different things to different people, with some using the term positively, reporting they intentionally crossfade to achieve a specific effect, while others regard it as an unpleasant experience and something to be avoided. For those who seek it out, using the two drugs simultaneously isn’t necessarily about trying to get as intoxicated as possible. Websites and online forums covering the topic discuss the importance of finding the ‘perfect mix’, hoping this will result in an entirely unique experience, one that’s different to that caused by using either of the drugs on their own.
That may sound great in theory but, of course, that’s not necessarily going to happen. Different drugs affect different people in different ways and no two people are going to have the same experience. Things can go wrong, particularly when it comes to combining drugs. There are no guarantees and there’s always some degree of risk involved when you use any drug, whether it be legal, illegal or pharmaceutical.
When it comes to combining alcohol and cannabis one of the greatest risks is ‘greening out’. For reasons we don’t fully understand and cannot predict, some people feel physically sick after smoking cannabis. This is far more likely to happen after drinking alcohol. Research has found that drinking before smoking increases THC absorption, making it easier for the drug to enter the brain. THC is the part of cannabis that gets you stoned and when it’s absorbed too quickly it can cause a much stronger, and often far more unpleasant effect than usual.
Has this anything to do with the old saying, ‘beer and grass, you’re on your arse, grass and beer, you’re in the clear’? When people use the term crossfading to describe feeling unwell, i.e., ‘greening out’, it most probably does. Although there are no guarantees, research suggests that if you choose to combine the two drugs, the order in which you use them does indeed seem to make a difference. This doesn’t mean, however, that either mix is risk-free.
Intentionally crossfading, i.e., mixing alcohol and cannabis in an effort to achieve a unique sensory experience, is a practice that’s not well understood. What is clear, however, is that using one drug is risky and mixing two drugs together greatly increases the risk of something going wrong. It’s unlikely that this will result in the need to seek medical assistance but, as always, if you feel you’re not able to deal with the situation, seek help immediately.
First published: August 2025
