Last updated : November 11, 2024
With recreational cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana, becoming legalized in several states across the U.S., it’s important to know how the drug can affect someone.
A temporary overdose, known by the slang phrase “greening out,” may occur when taking large amounts of marijuana. This kind of temporary overdose is common among new or infrequent users and can cause some brief discomfort.
Symptoms of marijuana overdose may include:
- Dilated pupils
- “Cold” feeling
- Disorientation or vertigo
- Shortness of breath
- Quickened heart rate
- Anxiety or paranoia
- Heightened sense of fear
- Physical shaking
- Vomiting and/or nausea
Temporary overdose has no long-lasting effects and will end on its own within a few minutes or hours. It is important to understand that while “greening out” causes no long-term health defects or permanent disabilities, it can lead to panic attacks or poor judgment that can lead to death.
However, in the unlikely event symptoms persist, ensure that the person drinks lots of water and gets plenty of rest. Keep a close eye on the user for more severe symptoms like trouble breathing or unresponsiveness. In case of emergency, take the person to the nearest hospital or call 911; doctors may then treat the symptoms of the overdose with anti-anxiety or heart-rate reducing medication and intravenous fluids.
Death is very unlikely from marijuana use alone. There are a very few number of incidences where marijuana use has led to death, but in almost all cases, the actual cause of death was related to preexisting medical conditions, accidents, suicide, or other drug use.
Studies have shown that in order to die from a marijuana overdose, you would have to ingest 40,000 times the amount of THC it takes to get you high, which is an incredibly large rate when compared to other drugs. For example, human death from alcohol consumption takes approximately five to ten times as many drinks as would get the drinker drunk; if two beers gets you drunk, then 10-20 beers could kill you. If two puffs of marijuana smoke get you high, you would need 80,000 puffs to kill you, taken over a short period of time.
The research of a specific study showed that small animals, like rats, need over 1000 milligrams (mg) of THC per kilogram (kg) of body weight to die. Testing on larger animals did not lead to any fatalities, even when subjects were fed over 3000 mg of THC per kg of body weight; that means a 140-pound or 63-kilogram human would need to ingest over four pounds of marijuana at once to possibly die from marijuana use alone.
Ultimately, marijuana is still a drug and should not be used because it leads to numerous health and social problems.
