Tuesday, October 14, 2014
It’s a long-held assumption in the marijuana community: You can’t overdose on pot.
A review of 20 years worth of cannabis studies seems to confirm the fact. The new study, published in the journal Addiction, got a lot of attention for its focus on potential harmful effects of weed.
But rest assured, the biggest conclusion is that this is not a drug most humans can overdo.
According to author Wayne Hall:
The estimated fatal dose [of pure THC, not weed] in humans derived from animal studies is between 15 and 70 grams. This is a far greater amount of cannabis that even a very heavy cannabis user could use in a day.
Hear that? The Washington Post translates that overdose amount into “10 joints an hour, for 24 hours.” Some of you are saying to yourselves, “I could do that.” Don’t.
And what about addiction? Highly unlikely, but possible, the researcher says:
The life-time risk of developing dependence among those who have ever used cannabis was estimated at 9% in the United States in the early 1990s as against 32% for nicotine, 23% for heroin, 17% for cocaine, 15% for alcohol and 11% for stimulants.
In other words, as a summary says, “around one in 10 regular cannabis users develop dependence.”
There you have it. Now go easy on yourselves …
