Opinion: Can you overdose from cannabis?

Mar 12 2018, 11:57 pm

Written for Daily Hive by Christopher, a budtender and content manager at Air Reserve Collection.


Although technically you cannot fatally overdose from cannabis, it is very possible to consume more cannabis than is necessary, or more cannabis than your body can process.

That being said, there are downsides to excessive cannabis consumption (just like there are downsides to excessive anything), so slow your roll (and your bowl) and read on to learn a bit more about how it effects your body and brain.

Too much cannabis may manifest symptoms of dizziness, sweating, nausea, vomiting, crying, and sometimes even a sensation of dying (though it’s not wished upon anyone).

If you are a novice smoker, keep it low and slow. That means taking low doses of cannabis slowly throughout the course of your session. Commercial cannabis can be highly potent, and cultivators and manufacturers of cannabis products generally add the highest percentage of cannabinoids they can find.

For the novice smoker, this can be dangerous, like comparing a glass of wine with a shot of tequila.

Cannabis affects all of us differently due to our genetic makeup as well as our current frame of mind, and newbies need to be even more cautious.

So if you are feeling stressed and have had a good experience with different strains of cannabis in the past along with a high tolerance, it may just relax you. But if you’re feeling anxious and smoke a high THC vaporizer it may just multiply your current stress and leave you in a state of chronic paranoia.

You can’t actually overdose on cannabis but you can enter a condition known as “the greenies.” This is when you feel a sense of disorientation, a faster heart rate than normal, shortness of breath, hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, and even vomiting. This is your body’s way of telling you that you’ve had too much.

So put the joint down, step back from the party, and take a deep breath. Sometimes opening the door, stepping outside, and taking a little walk is all that it takes to rid yourself of the horrible sensations of the greenies.

But the best strategy when it comes to cannabis is to use common sense and not bow to peer pressure. Don’t smoke too much if you are a novice user. Have a couple puffs, stand back, and gauge the effects those tokes have on you. If you feel euphoric and uppity, have another toke. Try to maintain your positive feelings without going overboard.

All good things in moderation, and that’s as true with cannabis as with anything else.

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Christopher is a budtender and content manager at Air Reserve Collection, when he’s not doing research on latest strains and products for the store, he’s busy making cannabis chocolate covered strawberries and discovering new ways in incorporate cannabis into his morning smoothies.

Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Daily Hive. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.

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