Most cannabis products you can legally purchase list the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) they contain. However, if you are consuming an unpackaged edible, it is nearly impossible to know how much tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient, is in food, drink, or smoking products.
In general, the likelihood of experiencing uncomfortable effects is higher if you are a first-time or infrequent user of cannabis. So, if you’re thinking about participating in 4/20, the correct dosage depends on the person consuming the cannabis, With 2.5 mg recommended to startand topped up with 40 mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per day.
A 2023 study in the journal Molecules at the Institute of Nutrition at Mahidol University in Thailand indicated that Smoking 2 to 3 mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It can impair attention, concentration, short-term memory, and executive function, such as memory, thinking, and self-control.
More serious symptoms affect people who smoke more than 7.5 mg of THC, such as low blood pressure, panic, anxiety, delirium, jerking movements, and difficulties with balance and speech. The same study indicated that an oral dose of 5 to 20 mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can impair short-term memory and “executive functioning.”
Although consuming cannabis, or any other edible, does not affect the lungs compared to smoking, Accidental overdoses are likely to occur.
It can take It takes 30 minutes to two hours for THC to start affecting the body After consuming cannabis products. Because edibles take longer to take effect, people may eat more of it, thinking they haven’t consumed enough. The high also lasts longer when eating cannabis-containing foods than when smoking it and can even last 12 hours before the effects wear off.
If you plan to eat or drink cannabis products, be sure to wait until the effects kick in, rather than consuming more. If you end up smoking or eating too much, you could experience an overdose or cannabis poisoning.
Symptoms of overdose and poisoning
Signs of smoking or consuming too much cannabis Includes:
- Extreme confusion
- anxiety
- paranoia
- panic
- Rapid heart rate
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Increased blood pressure
- Severe nausea or vomiting
“Anytime a person feels like they are having a medical emergency, they should seek care at the nearest emergency center or call 911,” Dr. Carrie Aubrey, a board-certified emergency medicine physician in San Jose, California, told BuzzFeed News. . “However, often people are unsure whether their symptoms are related to an emergency.”
People should seek medical help if cannabis use results in injury or suicidal thoughts or if they have underlying medical conditions.
“If you experience a major injury related to any type of accident after using cannabis, you should seek emergency care even if your pain level is not as high as you expect,” Aubrey said. “Cannabis can mask your pain symptoms, and the injury may be worse than you feel.”
Since THC can amplify symptoms of psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and psychosis, it is important to seek emergency care in cases of excessive consumption, Aubrey said.
In addition, people who already have medical conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes, should be more aware of any symptoms or effects of an overdose.
“If you are someone with a chronic illness, and you notice that your symptoms are worse after using cannabis, you should seek emergency care, especially if these symptoms include chest pain and shortness of breath,” Aubrey said.