The Straight Toke - THE Marijuana Blog

One of our readers pointed us to a link in the news today -- one that is sure to make headlines in both the pro-legalization/anti-legalization camps. The article, published in Reuters, talks about the strength of modern-day weed, particularly about how much stronger it is than the "grass" of the 1970's. Actually, it does more than that -- it paints a rather scary picture, portraying today's marijuana as a far more dangerous drug. First, we will agree with Reuters on one thing: the average THC content of today's marijuana is higher than it was in the past. Today, according to the DEA, US-grown marijuana has an average THC content of 4-6 percent. If anything, that estimate is a bit low -- most US growers tend to favour strains in the vacinity of 9-10%. So there's no doubt that the potency of marijuana in the US has gone up -- but the question remains: is it now more dangerous because of that?

If you look at the Reuters article, you'll notice two references to "medical emergencies". Now, the article doesn't cite a source (or even define what they define "medical emergency" is) -- but we suppose they're referring to emergency room visits due to marijuana use. The article claims that the increase in marijuana's potency has caused more "medical emergencies", thereby implying that the increased THC content is in some way harmful. To that, we respond: hogwash. Now obviously there hasn't been any testing for the LD50 (fatal dose) in humans, but if the LD50 in animals is any indication, the LD50 for THC in humans is probably in the neighborhood of 400-600 mg/kg. Since a dog would have to consume approximately 150g of pure THC, it's reasonable to assume that a human would have to consume significantly more. But let's be pessimists: let's assume that a human has only half the THC tolerance of a dog -- let's pretend 75g is a lethal dose. That's 75g of pure THC -- not 75g of marijuana. It would be cost-prohibitive (not to mention just flat-out difficult) to obtain 75 grams of pure THC -- and obtaining enough raw marijuana to have a fatal dose wouldn't be cheap either. Even if one did get their hands on a fatal quantity of marijuana, it would be physically impossible to smoke enough to die. The smoker would pass out first -- thus why marijuana is considered a self-limiting drug (i.e. your body will limit you and prevent you from overdosing.)

So there's no increased risk from more potent marijuana. "Well if that's the case", we hear you ask, "why are there more 'medical emergencies' reported from marijuana use?" The answer is quite simple: people panic. Today's marijuana is stronger than the marijuana of the past, but people may not always have access to the most potent weed. People who are used to smoking a lower-grade bud, 3% THC, for example, may not know to adjust their intake when faced with higher-grade marijuana. As such, they may smoke their usual amount -- which will get them much more intoxicated than they are used to. When faced with a feeling (the high) more intense than they've ever felt before, some people may panic and call 911. There's no medical need for this -- these people are in no medical danger whatsoever, but the disorienting experience of being more stoned than normal may cause them to panic. Any competent ER will treat them in a simple way: they'll try and relax them and just let it wear off -- the same treatment that could be done in the comfort of their own home. In simple terms, these people just need to "chill out" for a while, and they'll be fine (and happy!) So it is quite possible that the increased potency of today's marijuana has caused an increase in ER visits for marijuana -- but there is no risk whatsoever associated with stronger weed.

The language in the Reuters article is deceptive, and it gives the impression that marijuana, one of the planet's safest drugs, is dangerous. As with any substance, be sure to vary your dosage depending on the strength. If, when smoking, you feel overpowered, or you begin to panic, put down the weed, find a comfortable couch, and the feeling will pass. Remember: it is impossible for you to smoke enough pot to kill you. Nobody's ever smoked themselves to death. Ever.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 26th, 2007 at 7:01 pm and is filed under Health/Medicine, Politics, Q/A. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.