24 Don't people die from smoking pot?
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This article is from the Hemp / Cannabis / Marijuana FAQ, by Brian S. Julin verdant@twain.ucs.umass.edu with numerous contributions by others.
24 Don't people die from smoking pot?
Nobody has ever overdosed. For any given substance,
there are bound to be some people who have allergic
reactions. With marijuana this is extremely rare, but it
could happen with anything from apples to pop-tarts. Not
one death has ever been directly linked to marijuana itself.
In contrast, many legal drugs cause hundreds to hundreds of
thousands of deaths per year, foremost among them are
alcohol, nicotine, valium, aspirin, and caffiene. The
biggest danger with marijuana is that it is illegal, and
someone may mix it with another drug like PCP.
Marijuana is so safe that it would be almost impossible to
overdose on it. Doctors determine how safe a drug is by
measuring how much it takes to kill a person (they call this
the LD50) and comparing it to the amount of the drug which
is usually taken (ED50). This makes marijuana hundreds of
times safer than alcohol, tobacco, or caffiene. According
to a DEA Judge ``marijuana is the safest therapeutically
active substance known to mankind.''
Bureau of Mortality Statistics, 1988.
``In the Matter of Marijuana Rescheduling Petition: Opinion and
Recommended Ruling, Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Decision
of Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young '' by Hon. Francis L.
Young September, 1988.
(allerigic reaction is rare)
``Marijuana and Immunity'' by Leo E. Hollister M.D. in ``Journal of
Psychoactive Drugs'' Vol. 24 Iss. 2 pp. 159-164. pub. Haight-Ashbury
Publications in association with the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical
Clinic San Francisco, Calif. : April,June, 1992.
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