One morning in the early 1900s, everyone in a political position woke up and was suddenly adamantly against pot. They worked hard to include cannabis and its derivatives into international drug control conventions, and eventually, cannabis was labeled a Schedule I narcotic. This is the same schedule as heroin.
These designations were based on personal decisions rather than scientific decisions. Rather than coming to any meaningful conclusion about weed, people in positions of power decided that they didn’t like it and no one should have it. Because the population trusted the people in power, the demonization of weed became widespread.
There are so many myths about cannabis that started from panic over, well, nothing. There was no research to suggest there was a reason to panic in the first place. That didn’t stop movies like Reefer Madness from being made, where weed is depicted as a drug for insane suicidal murdering rapists (we wish we were joking).
If you were under the impression that it’s possible to overdose on weed, we have great news. That bit of information, much like many of the other stigmatizing bits of information surrounding weed, is completely false.
What is an overdose?
Your brain and body are full of receptors that can capture certain substances and in some way be affected or stimulated by those substances. An overdose occurs when too much of a substance binds to brain receptors and leads the body to a fatal error. Substances change the way the body communicates with itself, including the communication of vital functions. It’s this impaired ability to support vital functions that can cause death.
Overdose isn’t always fatal. In some cases, like with opioids, overdose can be mostly resolved on the spot. Preparations like Naloxone nasal spray can be squirted into the nose of someone in the midst of an overdose. They quickly reach the brain, knocking the opioids off of the MU receptors and replacing them to prevent the excessive amounts of opioids present from re-binding themselves. When the receptors and opioids are no longer connected, the body can restore normal function.
Can you overdose on weed?
THC binds to the CB1 receptors in your brain. These receptors affect a lot of things, but they primarily impact the way you feel emotionally and perceive sensations. When too much THC binds to your CB1 receptors, you may feel anxious. Your vital functions are completely unaffected by this. Your heart will still beat and you will still breathe, although an anxious state may speed up both processes to an uncomfortable degree.
Humans have been using cannabis for thousands of years. There has yet to be a single recorded weed overdose. It’s not as though it’s difficult to determine an overdose. Close to a million people have died from a drug overdose in the past two decades.
Out of those nearly 1 million people, zero of them died from a cannabis overdose. There is a real overdose problem in the world that should absolutely be taken seriously. Pot just isn’t a part of it. Every day, over 130 people die from an opioid overdose. Both prescription opioids and illegally obtained opioids contribute to these figures.
This might contribute to the reason why people prefer to use medical cannabis over medical opioids. Since there is no risk of fatal overdose, people who use medical cannabis are more comfortable dosing themselves as needed without fear of deadly complications.
Having a bad experience with weed
Most people who believe they’re experiencing a weed overdose are just having a bad high. They used too much cannabis for their personal tolerance, encountered anxiety or panic while under the influence of cannabis, or experienced a combination of the two.
What these people experience shouldn’t be brushed off simply because they aren’t fatally overdosing. Someone having a bad high needs assistance, and if you’re that person or you’re with someone who is having a bad experience, it’s best to act immediately.
What to do if you or someone around you is having a bad experience
Freaking out won’t help any. Bad highs usually involve a heavy amount of anxiety, and adding more anxiety to an anxious situation has never fixed anything.
Someone who is having a bad high needs to be made comfortable and have their immediate needs met.
You can also serve them the equivalent of an antidote that will keep their bad high from escalating.