Real Teens Ask: Can inhaling Sharpie markers make you high?
106 Comments 
Lots of kids have questions about drugs. That’s why each year, NIDA scientists spend a day chatting online with high school students and answering their questions.
At our last Drug Facts Chat Day, mmmegan asked:
“can inhaling sharpies make you high?!?!?!”
According to NIDA’s scientists, the answer is yes. Permanent markers contain chemicals called solvents. When inhaled, these solvents can produce a “high.” Like alcohol, inhalants (including Sharpies) can cause slurred speech, lack of coordination, euphoria, and dizziness. Unfortunately, the chemicals that cause these effects can also make you sick, kill your brain cells, and damage your nerves.
Some people think inhalants aren’t “real drugs” because a lot of them are sold in grocery stores—stuff like cleaners, glue, and markers. Household products are safe, if you use them like you’re supposed to. But that doesn’t mean they’re okay to inhale! I mean, you wouldn’t drink drain cleaner, or squirt bug spray in your mouth, would you? The chemicals in inhalants can be very dangerous, especially to kids. It’s rare, but some kids have even died after a single session of inhaling chemical fumes. So it’s really true that inhalants can kill you.
You can read more real questions from kids at our NIDA Drug Facts Chat Day transcripts. And you can get more information on inhalants at NIDA’s website.
I have a question, can smoking sharpie cause strokes or cancer?
Oh kayy I sniffed a Sharpie a few minutes ago I don’t feel funny at all I just couldn’t open my pop corn sooo am I fine
Hi, i didn’t really inhale a sharpie; but i did smell a sharpie and i did it over and over again, which in this case gave me a side effect of feeling drowsy and kinda sick… will i be ok?
does sniffing scented markers have the same effect as smelling sharpies and glue?
@nerdalot–hmmm, i don’t think so, b/c scented markers don’t contain the potentially toxic ingredients (to your brain), like sharpies or some glues; if they did, they likely wouldn’t be labeled as “scented.”
sophix how long did u sniffed sharpies?
we don’t think that sniffing markers are cool
its not cool
its not cool
hey sniffing markers is as bad as weed cause it kills your brain cells
how long does it get you high for?
Dee 22 your right and sniffing markers can damage organs
Micheal people do drugs maybe cuz some people don’t believe in God or can’t trust any one. There is alot of people who do dumb things. And I agree that God doesn’t approve drugs!
Wat if u take like sort of a quick sniff from a sharpie?? Wil u experience anything like any side effects??
Inhaling markers provides just a brief high that may last only a few minutes, but can cause damage to nerve cells that lasts a lot longer.
People don’t generally “smoke” Sharpies. But the medical consequences of inhaling toxic things can be pretty bad. Check this out: http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_inhale2.php#common_effects
whooooaaa i want to try this. how long does it take to get high?
I had no idea so many people could be so ignorant you are all ridiculous instead of wasting your time worrying about sharpies why don’t some of you pick up a book
Me and friend sniffed sharpies but like as a joke. we didnt feel any thing excepts for the giggles for like an hour but that might have been just us. I sniff markers almost every day. i know its bad and i know its stupid but im still getting straight A’s in honors classes and stuff. Doesn’t seem too bad to me
[...] 1) Real Teens Ask: Can inhaling Sharpie markers make you high? [...]
Unbelievable that people would think because they’re available in shops, that they ‘must’ be safe!!
kalyn inhaled a sharpie over and over again and thaat was my first time i have been feeling very weird not normal i should say it has been 7 months and i feel different nothing compared to normal were i look at my hands and they feel numb….i reallly dont know how to cure it but its been really bugging me and i do not know what to do..so please helpp me.
oh and i feel like i do not have control of my brain
so what can i do to hellp my selff thatt did not answer my question at all
Albert, please tell a trusted adult about this. You might consider talking to your parents, your doctor, a school nurse or counselor, a teacher…anyone in a position to help you find a health professional to diagnose and treat your problem. Good luck.
Yes, it’s possible, the effects happen fast and subside quickly, but you can do damage to your brain cells in that short time. Not worth it.
and i have told my parents and a doctor but they tell me its anxiety i need heelp baddly
@albert—try talking to your guidance counselor, who may be able to make a referral for you. Don’t give up finding help.
someone call pest control and get the unicorns off the ceiling!
i am srs guyz i cnt get thm away: theyrre everywhere and i just saw a spaceeshiip ou tside my windoh
HOLY S**T! me and my friends sniff sharpies at school all the time. all it does to us is make us be really bad spellers for a short amount of time and laught ALOT! also do stupid things that get us in trouble!
its hard to belive that the goverment wold make this website based of the comments. it sounds like people are learning things. but its true snifing markers is very dangerous and not cool
@highguy Sure.
Marijuana is actually one of the safest drugs on the world. it is proven to be better than cigarettes. as long as it is organic or not enriched with chemicals that increase growth rate or strength of “high”, most of the time it will not affect the human body(except the lungs. their will be small effects on the lungs.).
WEED IS NOT A DRUG! god put it on this plant for a reason!!
and beware though marijuana is a gatee way drug to all these users just know that its not a lie you will regret it later on so how about dont do drugs at all
Sharpies: for people who are concerned that if the do a better drug, the will become hooked
Weed: Normally a medical item, but drug cartels sell it for the relaxent
lsd: used by FBI to get information
Hungry: kids in africa
Dying: people every day every second
You; out of 8 billion people, has acess to food, shelter, money, clothes. Check yourself before you wreck yourself; don’t buy the weed, donate the money to an organization or send it to africa, past the CEO’s of those christian charites and the corprate vultures of the gov.
And when the time comes, A bright light or a rotting corpse, don’t throw away your one chance.
dee and brooke lord have mercy you guys are not cool never mind the sharpies
i sniffed a sharpie and got high.. i was under a lot of peer presure and for the past couple days it feels like the days are longer and the clock and time is slow…. is this normal or do i need to see someone? please tell me i am kinda worried.
I know it’s stupid but I wanted to see what a sharpie smelt like so I sniffed it for about two seconds and then I realised what I was doing and stopped, is that ok?
this is getting serious. we are already having a lot of problem and the kids nowadays are left unguided. this results to poor behavior and they tend to do bad things to be noticed. they even make a good weapon out of a simple toothbrush. God knows what will happen if this goes on.
dont do it i did this for a long time it my hart is mesd up and brain its bad long term
it’s good for you
A recent study found that six percent of 12th graders reported past year abuse of cough or cold medicines to get high [...] [commercial link removed, per guidelines]. In many parts of the country, teens can easily buy OTC cough and cold remedies at any supermarket, drugstore, or convenience store where these products are sold.
this is very stupid to do and can screw u up 4 life i tried it and u will regret it its a dumb thing to do
Ok so I sniffed sharpies all the time or well I use to because I matured and I was very stupid. But when I did that it only lasted 4 like 5mins. And I also heard kids are sniffing hand sanitizer? Why is it the same thing as sniffing a sharpie ?
@nat Glad to hear you stopped with the sharpies. Sniffing hand sanitizer? Hmm, that seems pretty weird. I’d rather keep that stuff for killing germs, not brain cells.
i just inhaled a sharpie and none on these side effects happed. is there any more?
and i am only 12
ok so the first time i started smelling sharpies was yesterday in science class, me and my friends were passing it around. we all knew it was bad and i dont know about them but i felt no effect. today i was talking to my friend and he was bugging me to never smell one again. i wanted to prove to him that its not as bad as he thinks and i found this…great…well i am now worryed that its going to become a habbit cuz i love the smell…what should i do?