marijuana

Poison Control Flooded With Calls After Legalized Marijuana, Folks Back in the High Life Again Saying This Is Not My Life!

Marijuana has had a number of effects on states that have legalized it. Tax revenue is up, arrest rates for cannabis-related offenses are down, and in some places, there’s even been a drop in the crime and murder rates. But one agency that just can’t catch a break since pot became legal and readily available is US Poison Control. Its centers are suffering from a huge increase in calls from stoners between 2017 and 2019, according to a new report by the journal JAMA.

No, those ingesting Mary Jane in all its forms aren’t just calling the hotline to chat about their latest drug-induced revelation. They’re actually having bad trips and freaking out about them.

“Our findings document that US poison centers are increasingly receiving calls about adverse events associated with exposures to manufactured cannabis products,” reads the report.

According to the National Poison Data System, 28,630 people called US poison centers between January 2017 and December 2019. Of those who called because they overdid it on the reefer, 65.5% reported ingesting too much flower and 19.3% overdosed on edibles. Strangely, the majority of the calls came from health care facilities, not private homes. Most were simply adults who got too high, but sadly, 27% of calls were regarding kids under 10 who’d gotten ahold of a cannabis product. (Edibles are particularly attractive to children, for obvious reasons.)

So what should you do to avoid being one of the sad sacks who has to frantically dial a poison control center when all you meant to do was unwind a little?

“Novice cannabis users are often advised to ‘start low, go slow,’” the report authors advised.

And for goodness sakes, keep your drugs away from the kids!

Cover Photo: Mayara Klingner / EyeEm (Getty Images)

MORE NEWS:

TRENDING

X