People
often wonder if smoking too much cannabis will cause them to overdose
and die. It’s natural to worry as many other substances that people use
medically and recreationally, have adverse effects. Check our guide here
on the low toxicity of cannabis and the likelihood of overdosing on
cannabis.
Cannabis Studies and Reports
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that
overdosing and dying from cannabis is “unlikely.” However, the federal
agency notes that high amounts of THC may lead to poisoning.
Additionally, using cannabis while driving a motor vehicle may lead to
an accident and death and using cannabis with drugs and alcohol may
cause adverse events.
Both
the CDC and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) track and
analyze drug use and overdose. Both offer statistics and graphs on
opioid overdose and benzodiazepine overdose, for example. But neither
has offered any examples of cannabis overdoses.
A Swedish study on
the death of young men who used cannabis, mentioned no overdose deaths.
Instead it found “a high level of consumption of other drugs was
associated with increased mortality.”
A federal program called the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTAs) issued a 66-page report, titled The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact, in 2014 analyzing the effects of legal marijuana in Colorado.
The
report stated that marijuana-impaired driving jumped 100 percent and
fatalities doubled during the study period. Pet poisoning, hospital
visits, and lab explosions also increased. But no mention of overdoses.
Cannabis Overdose in Children and Pets
The
adult human seems to be able to tolerate cannabis even at high doses of
THC. However, vulnerable beings like children and pets are not so
lucky.
The
Rocky Mountain HIDTA report showed that from 2016 to 2014,
cannabis-related poisoning increased 268 percent in children 0 to 5
years of age. One mother found her 13-year old son unconscious when she
returned home and had to use CPR to revive him, and he survived with
emergency room care.
Pet
poisonings increased four times in the time covered by the report. Dogs
tend to get into chocolate edibles but there have been cases of horses
being poisoned from cannabis flower. If treated with veterinary care,
pets have a good chance of surviving a cannabis encounter.
THC Potency Rising
Since
there are few reports of cannabis overdose and death in the U.S., the
conversation about the adverse effects of cannabis should be about
cannabis poisoning not overdose.
Cannabis
poisoning is usually caused by Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC levels
have been steadily rising due to demand from recreational users and due
to the new and more concentrated cannabis preparations.
The
HIDTA report confirms, “THC potency has risen from an average of 3.96
percent in 1995 to an average of 12.33 percent in 2013.
Many
cannabis strains that are available to the medical and recreational
user hover in the 17 to 19 percent THC range, which is higher than
average. Many have THC over 20 percent, and some concentrates have THC
levels over 30 percent.
Cannabinoid Receptors
The CDC states in its PDQ (Physician
Data Query) on cannabis, that cannabinoid receptors are not located in
the brainstem and are therefore unlikely to influence respiration,
unlike opioid receptors, which are located on the brainstem.
The
report states that due to cannabinoid receptors being absent from the
brainstem, “lethal overdoses from Cannabis and cannabinoids do not
occur.” However, cannabinoid receptors are present in the central
nervous system and may cause hypotension, bronchodilation,
gastrointestinal distress.
Cannabis Intoxication Symptoms
Since
most of the evidence suggests that you can’t die from too much
cannabis, you may still feel adverse effects and wonder how to cope. If
you’re feeling poisoned, you probably won’t be reading this article but
maybe your friends are. Here’s how to cope if you or someone you know is
feeling cannabis intoxication.
People
can overserve themselves to cannabis just like they overserve
themselves alcohol. They might try a strain with too high a level of THC
for their experience level, experiment with an edible, or try dabbing
with high-THC concentrates.
Some symptoms of cannabis poisoning:
- Paranoia – a combination of fear and anxiety combined with extreme narratives like the police are going to bust in the door or something about aliens.
- Increased heart rate – when the heart beats faster than usual; that tends to get people’s attention.
- Overwhelmed – sometimes people just fall on the couch and can’t get up – that’s called a weed coma, but being overwhelmed and unable to understand reality is a different circumstance.
Cannabis
poisoning or intoxication will show up differently in everyone. And,
since many people mix alcohol and drugs with their cannabis, dealing
with the symptoms may be tricky.
Coping with Cannabis Intoxication
When
in doubt, call for help from professionals. However, if you or a friend
are feeling intoxicated from cannabis, you can use several methods to
self-soothe while the effects wear off. Sometimes the effects will go
away within an hour and sometimes it may take a few hours or more.
When
your heart is racing or you feel funny, calming down and relaxing
doesn’t seem realistic. However, if you find a quiet place, you can
start that process. Eliminating noise, light, and other people should
help quiet the nervous system that is so riled up.
Covering
the eyes with a blanket or mask will eliminate more nervous system
input as will ear plugs. Snuggling in a blanket or putting on extra
clothes or socks will send calming signals to the brain.
Tune
into your body and all its sensations. Sometimes the body just wants
you to take notice that it’s there. Notice your breathe or alter the
patterns of your breath; that will provide a structure for you to tune
into your body.
In
conclusion, the CDC says it’s unlikely for you to overdose and die from
too much cannabis. A couple of deaths have been attributed to cannabis
but the overwhelming majority of evidence points to the non-lethality of
cannabis. Be careful of high-THC cannabis and learn how to self-soothe
if you’ve had too much.
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