It's the same as with other drugs, set and setting really change the quality of the overall experience.

Preparation is usually important to have a good time.

e.g. I clean up my apartment, buy groceries, do anything that needs to be done.

This is sort of what gets me high already. It's a success and smoking after having everything done is a blast.

My head is empty and I have nothing on my mind. The perfect mix to really enjoy it (for me).

I don't disagree that set and setting will impact things, but this isn't really being presented as a "If I do these things I am more likely to enjoy the experience", but rather as "I have to do all of these challenging things to make the experience one that meaningful and otherwise it's just a stoner getting a stoned, but this challenge is what makes me a high functioning user of marijuana"

To me, it's the distinction between "being stoned" and "virtuous pot smoking" and the connection being made between the latter being something that "high functioning cannabis users" do.

Lots of people just get stoned. That isn't what makes them high functioning or not - it's whether that impacts their ability to have a productive and fulfilling life. For me, and the many people I know that are regular users, the answer is not really. I imagine there are likely some trade offs, but I and the people I know have good careers, fulfilling personal lives, and do it because we enjoy it, the same way I partake in other hobbies I enjoy.

There was an article on newscientist about how people get good results using rituals, the ritual itself can be arbitrary.

Link?