While the legalization of cannabis is on the horizon, it’s not here yet—and in the interim, issues have begun to arise with inexperienced cannabis users ingesting the substance in edible form.
Our Medical Director Dr. Michael Szabo went to the CBC studio to discuss the issue with news anchor Andrew Nichols.
What’s happening here?
According to Dr. Szabo, emergency rooms are seeing a spike in visits from people who have overdosed on cannabis, and the lack of public health information is what’s most likely to blame.
The key factor? Edible forms of marijuana have a delayed onset of action—after ingesting, it takes anywhere from two to four hours to feel the peak effect. This is opposed to smoking, where the effect is generally felt within 15 to 30 minutes.
As a result, inexperienced users are ingesting too much too quickly, then find themselves in the emergency room with vomiting, panic, and an elevated heart rate.
While no deaths have been recorded as a result of cannabis overdose, the experience can be frightening—and it could potentially cause problems with secondary conditions, such as a heart condition, warns Dr. Szabo.
The solution? Better public health messaging. In advance of the legalization of cannabis, Dr. Szabo says, we need to get the information out there so that people are aware of a safe serving size, the delayed onset of effects with edibles, and other information they need to consume cannabis safely.
For more on this story, watch the full interview here.
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