CANNAHEALTH The Opioid Epidemic | Page 27

At present it is estimated that marijuana’s LD-50 is around 1:20,000 or 1:40,000. In layman terms this means that in order to induce death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in one marijuana cigarette. NIDA-supplied marijuana cigarettes weigh approximately 0.9 grams. A smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response.”

In medicine, “LD-50” is the lethal dose sufficient to kill half the members of the test population. NIDA is the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Of course, we all know how that story ended: the DEA refused to reschedule marijuana then, just as it refuses to reschedule marijuana now, despite substantial scientific evidence that cannabis is both therapeutic and, for all intents and purposes, non-lethal. If you’d like to see some of the evidence showing marijuana’s health benefits for yourself, you can find numerous studies in my articles on marijuana for cancer, marijuana for chronic pain, and marijuana for anxiety, to provide just a few examples.

Unless you plan on consuming 1,500 pounds of marijuana in the next 15 minutes, you don’t have to worry about a fatal overdose. You should, however, be wary of the injury risks and safety hazards that can arise during or after using your medicine, such as:

Car Accidents

Marijuana affects the way you perceive and respond to your environment. For example, many people report distortions in the way they interpret the passage of time. Because marijuana alters the way you think, feel, and function, it can be extremely unsafe to operate a vehicle or use heavy machinery. If you know you will need to travel by vehicle, make arrangements with a friend, family member, or taxi service in advance. Driving while under the influence of marijuana, though possibly safer than driving while under the influence of alcohol, is still a risky activity that potentially endangers not only yourself, but others on the road.

Falls and Dangerous Activity Injuries

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