| lane912 |
08-18-2009 12:15 PM |
THC has an extremely low toxicity and the amount that can enter the body through the consumption of cannabis plants poses no threat of death. In lab animal tests, scientists have had much difficulty administering a dosage of THC that is high enough to be lethal. It also appears that humans cannot die from ingesting too much THC, unless it were introduced into the body intravenously (See also: Intravenous Marijuana Syndrome).[citation needed] Indeed, a 1988 ruling from the United States Department of Justice concluded that "In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity."[13]
According to the Merck Index,[14] the LD50 of THC (the dose which causes the death of 50% of individuals) is 1270 mg/kg for male rats and 730 mg/kg for female rats from oral assumption in sesame oil, and 42 mg/kg for rats from inhalation.[15]
The ratio of cannabis material required to produce a fatal overdose to the amount required to saturate cannabinoid receptors and cause intoxication is 40,000:1 [16][17]; consumption of such a large dose is virtually impossible. There had been no reported deaths or permanent injuries sustained as a result of a marijuana overdose.[18][19][20][21][22] However in 2009 it was reported in the United Kingdom that a man died from the acute affects of cannabis "possibly experiencing one of the toxic effects of cannabis - a fast heart rate and hyperventilating - [which] can lead to heart failure". The coroner recorded a verdict of "death due to misuse of drugs".[23] It is not known if the man had any underlying medical condtion. It is generally considered impossible to overdose on marijuana, as the user would certainly either fall asleep or otherwise become incapacitated from the effects of the drug before being able to consume enough THC to be mortally toxic. According to a 2006 United Kingdom government report, using cannabis is much less dangerous than tobacco, prescription drugs, and alcohol in social harms, physical harm, and addiction.[24] It was found in 2007 that while tobacco and cannabis smoke are quite similar, cannabis smoke contained higher amounts of ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and nitrogen oxides, but lower levels of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).[25]. This study found that that directly inhaled cannabis smoke contained 20 times as much ammonia and 5 times as much hydrogen cyanide as tobacco smoke and compared the properties of both mainstream and sidestream (smoke emitted from a smouldering 'joint' or 'cone')[26] smoke. Sidestream cannabis smoke was found to contain higher concentrations of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) than sidestream tobacco smoke[27].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_cannabis |
