After the death of a 19-year-old teenager who consumed a whole box of cookies containing marijuana and threw himself out of the window last year, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention felt it was their responsibility to inform people about the dangers of an overdose.
A new report issued by the CDC warns people that food containing marijuana can be very dangerous if consumed in excess.
This report follows the news that Levy Thamba Pongi’s death was caused by his eating six times more marijuana cookies than the accepted dose. It was said that his behavior changed completely, he became very aggressive and jumped off the balcony.
“This case illustrates a potential danger associated with recreational edible marijuana use,” said representatives of the CDC.
Even if an overdose of food containing marijuana may not kill you, it can radically change your behavior, up to the point where you have no control over your senses and you can hurt yourself and somebody else.
According to the seller who gave them the marijuana cookie, the boy should have waited about 30 minutes to feel the effects and was warned not to eat more than one sixth of the cookie, which represents the maximum recommended dose. This dose contains about 10 mg Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis.
Because the boy reportedly could not feel the effects of this dose, he ate the whole product, which contained six times the admitted dose.
Eating marijuana and smoking it is not precisely the same thing. In the former case, the THC is absorbed at a much slower rate but the effects of intoxication are harder to get rid of once they’ve been installed.
The CDC recommends producers to label marijuana edibles and clearly mention the recommended dose. Moreover, they should avoid selling them in packages that contain more than that dose.
They also warn people about the danger children or other members of the family can be exposed to if such edibles are kept around the house and are not labeled according to the recommendations.
Experts explain that marijuana itself will not kill you, no matter how much food you chose to eat. However, it can seriously affect your psyche up to the point when you exhibit erratic behavior and have no self control.
This is why we should be extremely careful if we decide to have such treats anyway.
Image Source: redalertlive
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