Many folks, even those who have used marijuana for a while, wonder if overdosing on it is possible. It is, but the more appropriate term is overuse, not overdose. That’s because the experience is different from street and prescription drug overdoses. For instance, weed fatalities are very unlikely.
“Greening Out” Is the Term for Weed Overuse
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“Greening out” is when you experience excessive being high symptoms. These signs of cannabis intoxication include drowsiness, heavy limbs, dizziness, accelerated heart rate, urinary retention, paranoia, slower reflexes, and anxiety. The symptoms can be mild to moderate and do not cause blackouts like drinking too much alcohol does.
If you are greening out, help your liver get rid of the THC and CBD in your body. Drink lots of water or even a glass of milk. Do not take Tylenol, alcohol, or other drugs. Be aware that in extreme cases, symptoms can last up to several days. More typically, they last a few hours.
If you consume weed in the form of edibles versus smoking, there is a higher risk of additional serious symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, psychosis, delusions, and hallucinations.
Avoid Street Weed
You do not know what you get with street cannabis. Purchase from licensed retailers to ensure your weed is safe and legitimate and that dangerous substances have not been added to the mix. With legit weed, you should not experience the same types of symptoms you might with a street drug overdose.
Smaller Dosages Help Prevent Overuse Symptoms
If you are a new weed user or new to a specific strain, start with small dosages. This holds whether you’re eating or smoking the weed. With smoking, give your body at least 30 minutes to an hour to feel the effects before you try more. More time never hurts.
With edibles, you would ideally wait 24 hours before consuming another one. For instance, when your edibles have THC, their highs tend to peak three hours after you eat the food or gummy. What you feel three hours in can be very different and much more intense than what you feel one hour or five hours in.
Also important with edibles is to look at the THC or CBD per serving. Sometimes, what is on the label refers to the entire product, while other times, it refers to parts of it. For multiple reasons, it is easy to overeat weed edibles and green out, so take it easy and give the weed time to kick in.
Be Safe When Using Weed
Do not drive or put yourself or others in risky situations when you use weed. Consume your marijuana in safe spaces around safe people. For example, driving while high or greening out can lead to car accidents, injuries, and legal charges.
Also, try to consume your weed when you are in a positive state of mind. Weed can exacerbate stresses and frustrations, just as it amplifies happiness. In other words, greening out symptoms may be worse when you consume weed when angry versus happy.
In short, it is possible to consume too much weed, but you don’t overdose like you would with other drugs. With some prep, you can prevent greening-out symptoms.
