Recently, a new death investigated by Christy Montegut and reported by a New Orleans Advocate was the first-ever case in which a woman died due to overdosing on Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the main psychoactive compound found in marijuana. The report shows that the investigative team was unable to find any other cause of death including additional use of drugs, alcohol, or history of chronic disease.
In the past few years, the use of weed or marijuana has been seen to increase due to a number of reasons including the increase in the amount of research on the medicinal benefits of some of the compounds present in marijuana.
As a result, scientists have discovered that a number of compounds present in the plant can be used in medical practice for the treatment of various health conditions ranging from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression to the prevention of diabetes.
In addition, it has also been noted that the use of marijuana is safer in comparison with other drugs. Hence, it can also be used to manage substance abuse as well as addiction.
Consequently, the use of many of the compounds in marijuana has been legalized in many parts of the United States and other parts of the world. Weed is being used in medical practice now as well as by many people in everyday life.
One of the most widely used compounds of weed at the moment is CBD, which is available in the form of pills, powder, oil, and capsules for many different purposes.
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However, the recent case of the death of a woman due to overdosing on THC has shown that marijuana has the potential to be dangerous if it is not used carefully and in appropriate amounts.
Previously, there have been a number of cases assumed to be linked to overdose of marijuana but it had never been proven.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention states that while using marijuana in higher than recommended amounts frequently can increase the risk of a number of health conditions, death is highly unlikely to occur solely from the use.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse or NIDA, an adult death as a result of overdosing on marijuana has not been yet reported. Usually, the drug is seen to be harmful and potentially life-threatening only in the case of children.
In the majority of the death cases linked with weed or marijuana, the fault can be a statistical one. As weed is one of the most commonly used drugs across the US, people are more likely to associate it with the occurrence of any health condition or even death.
Even if the use of marijuana did cause death, it would have already caused over ten thousand due to its prevalence among various age groups in the country.
The emergency medicine clinician specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, Alex Manini, clears the doubt around using marijuana saying “Whether you can die from an overdose of marijuana, the answer is no”
However, he does add that it is possible to overdose on marijuana and get hospitalized with serious symptoms but death from it is still highly unlikely and most people are discharged after the symptoms are managed.
