Are Marijuana Edibles More Dangerous Than Smoking Marijuana?
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Stories have surfaced to the news in recent years of people mistakenly eating marijuana edibles. A marijuana edible is any kind of food which has a strained, potent amount of THC in it, making the food itself an intoxicant. People have leaned toward dessert like treats for their marijuana creations, but the THC can be made into a butter or an oil, creating endless possibilities. Mostly, these few stories were about homemade batches of THC treats. Today, there are different stories. The medicalization and legalization movement of marijuana has boomed an entire new culinary industry- a cannabis cuisine. THC can be found in a wide range of foods, candies, pastries, and confections. With expertise in packaging design and subtlety to avoid shame and stigma for the use of alternative medicine/illicit drugs for recreation and/or medical use, it is hard to tell if a food source is made with THC or not. One story came from a mother whose son went into a state of psychosis and paranoia after eating all four blocks of a chocolate bar high in THC potency. The serving size was one half to one block for an entire day of intoxication.
Marijuana is not an inherently dangerous drug. Unlike drugs like cocaine which can cause a heart attack and heroin which can cause the heart to slow down to a halt, marijuana doesn’t cause overdose. Historically, there has not been a recorded overdose death due to the consumption of any volume of marijuana. However, the marijuana plant itself is changing as is the potency of THC. Marijuana engineers and growers have been increasing the strength and potency of the marijuana in order to serve a wider variety of potential customers. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana and when THC is strong it can have severe mind altering effects, like psychosis or paranoia.
Marijuana edibles cannot be considered dangerous unless someone is psychologically susceptible to distress while under the influence. Cases of permanent psychosis or paranoid disorder are rare in relation to the consumption of marijuana.
The population to whom marijuana edibles should be considered dangerous, but still not life-threatening, are younger adults and younger children. Mistaking candy and treats for normal foods can hurt young adults developmentally if they develop a habit.
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