Marijuana, while mild in comparison to other drugs, still packs enough of a punch in some cases to bring on a wealth of misery.
Marijuana is legal in a lot of places. Rest assured, that means there’s a stoner bro sitting around in a frat house somewhere staring down at a 1000mg cannabis edible while his college buddies double dare him to eat that sucker all at once. And in the spirit of the party culture, he’s probably going to do it, too. Little does he know, it’ll be worse than the worst mistake he’s ever made.
Although most states require cannabis dispensaries to sell edibles with a limited amount of THC (usually 10mg per serving), it’s common to find these products packaged with 10 servings — the equivalent of 100mg of THC. For the newcomer to the world of edible pot, 100mg is going to put them on their backside in a matter of hours and will likely induce enough panic to swear them off drugs forever.
Seriously, even 50mg can invoke dark horrors for a newbie. That’s one of the reasons “responsible use” advocates often suggest that beginners start by ingesting 5-10mg to test the waters and then increase the dose in a few hours as needed. Because once you ingest 100mg of edible THC, there’s no turning back. And, once it kicks in, you’re going to want to turn back, and fast.
There’s nothing stopping a consumer from buying multiple packages of pot edibles and devouring it in one setting. There have been accounts of pot journalists, many of which believe documenting their drug use makes them the next Hunter Thompson, eating 500mg to 1000mg of THC and sharing their experience with their readers. You can find these articles all over the internet, and they are written in such a way that cautiously suggest that a person shouldn’t be afraid.
But you should be terrified.
While consuming copious amounts of THC might be okay for some, it’s not the most practical move for most. Forget about all the stuff you’ve heard about pot users being more active, creative, and functional. Eating 1000mg of weed will almost assuredly lead to drooling fear, total inactivity, a loss of creative control and you won’t even be able to pronounce the word functionality.
RELATED: How To Avoid Going To The Emergency Room For Marijuana Overdose
The good news is consuming ridiculous amounts of pot probably won’t kill you. But that’s not to say you won’t wish you were dead. A non-life-threatening THC overdose can cause rapid heart rate, trouble breathing, extreme paranoia, confusion, loss of motor skills, anxiety, and ultimately a nagging fear that you’re about to swallow your tongue and be sucked into hell. Thirty-eight-year-old Bart from Louisville, Kentucky learned this the hard way. He told the Fresh Toast that he’s still scared of edibles to this day.
“One night, these girls came over and made pot brownies for our band. We each had three before rehearsal. But they gave me the munchies, so I actually ate four more about an hour later,” he said. “That was a huge mistake. I kept getting higher with each passing hour. It was like, just when I thought I couldn’t get any more stoned, the brownies found a way to get me. I mean, it was fun for a while, but then it got so intense that I couldn’t deal with it anymore. I needed it to end.”
Exhausted, Bart says that’s when his buzz went in for the knockout. “My eyes were strained — that was one of the weirdest aspects of it. I thought I was going to end up with a lazy eye in the morning. There was also a hallucinogenic effect. I kept seeing angry versions of myself while the room spun around me. Honestly, I thought I was losing my entire mind. And there was no sleeping it off either. I was wound so tight with anxiety that I just sat in my closet all night, hanging on for dear life. I’m still leery about taking edibles. On the upside, I’m proof that weed can’t kill you.”
RELATED: Why You Need To Be Careful Using Edibles The First Time
Some people get so freaked out after the overindulgence of pot edibles that they will call 911 or beg someone to do it for them. Nothing good can come from this. Depending on where they reside, calling in the calvary can bring about trouble with the law or the arrival of a massive hospital bill weeks later. “My hospital bill was close to $2000,” says Tara from Cincinnati, Ohio, who went to the ER one night after having a massive panic attack from edibles. “All they did was give me a dose of benzodiazepine to calm me down. They sent me home a few hours later.”
All in all, it’s probably best to avoid consuming such large doses of THC – especially anywhere close to 1000mg — if you haven’t built up the tolerance to handle it. There is no shame in starting slow and low. It’s not a competition. You’re not going to be more spiritually enlightened if you eat more weed than the next guy. So, don’t be a hero. And don’t let verbiage like “legal” and “safer than alcohol” fool you either.
Marijuana, while mild in comparison to other drugs, still packs enough of a punch in some cases to bring on a wealth of misery. When used in moderation, however, pot edibles are rather enjoyable. So, to the bro whose buddies are daring him to scarf down that 1000mg of pot, walk away right now and live to get high another day
You don’t need the hassle.
