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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDid The First Person Ever Really Just Die Of Marijuana Poisoning? Here's Why That's Unlikely.
Last week, newspapers in the United Kingdom detailed the tragic death of 31-year-old mother of three Gemma Moss, who reportedly "died as a result of cannabis poisoning," according to The BBC.
Has the world actually witnessed the first death attributable to marijuana after at least 10,000 years of some form of use on the planet without a single fatality ever reported?
The answer, according to medical science, is that it's extremely unlikely.
In the long history of humanity's marijuana use, not a single person has ever died from a weed overdose. According to a 1988 ruling from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times the amount of THC in a joint in order to be at risk of dying.
Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/06/gemma-moss-marijuana-death_n_4738167.html
Earlier: Mother died from 'marijuana overdose': coroner
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)htuttle
(23,738 posts)...you MIGHT, that's just might, be able to create a dose of cannabis extract concentrated enough that someone could actually die from it.
You'd have FAR better luck with many common fruits and vegetables.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Someone with asthma could easily trigger an attack. Likewise someone with a heart condition could have an issue with tachycardia.
But those are functions of the underlying conditions.
intheflow
(28,519 posts)Cha
(298,021 posts)Logical
(22,457 posts)People die of water overdoses. Tylenol overdoses, etc.
Mariana
(14,863 posts)And a lot of people who survive it are permanently harmed. It's much more dangerous than marijuana, yet it remains on the shelves for anyone to buy OTC. It's ridiculous.
Off topic a bit - I've always wondered how many of the deaths reported as being caused by prescription painkillers like Vicodin are actually due to acetominophen toxicity rather than overdose of the narcotics.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)Doses not much higher than the therapeutic dose cause liver damage and liver failure. If it were discovered today it'd never be approved for OTC sale.
Logical
(22,457 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)while booze killed thousands and thousands? I guess I know which one I would rather take a chance with.
Alkene
(752 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)struggle4progress
(118,379 posts)of deaths possibly attributed to marijuana, but that doesn't mean it's impossible
If you browse the general medical journals now and then, you'll find all kinds of strange cases where the interaction several unexpected conditions made diagnosis very difficult
Regular long term smoking of marijuana could have various untoward effects, the most obvious being lung damage, which will reduce oxygen levels in the blood, forcing the heart to work harder; carbon monoxide from the smoke will also reduce blood oxygen levels, forcing the heart to work still harder. So it's possible some long-term heavy users may develop heart problems from use. Another possibility is developing an allergy to some component of the plant or of its smoke: people sometimes develop allegies to various compounds by exposure, and allergic reactions can affect heart function. There may also be some evidence that regular marijuana use can increase norepinephrin levels -- and that would be expected to raise blood pressure. So it's entirely thinkable that a person who smokes multiple times per day over a period of years is elevating the risk of heart attack -- even if this were difficult to find by epidemiology study, heart attacks being rather common
sorefeet
(1,241 posts)and after 30+ years of sandblasting(silica) and industrial painting, lots of overspray and fumes my lungs are healthier than ever. My lungs are huge from climbing 3-4 700 feet smoke stacks. I honestly believe that the smoking of cannabis protected my lungs. And after losing 60 pounds and getting my pain under control I now use zero blood pressure meds. I do have a minor palpitation every now and then, but I think that is from past use of Voixx and Celebrex. I keep as much man made medicine OUT of my body, as I possibly can.