From: [l--i--n] at [gate.net] (Ivan )
Newsgroups: rec.drugs.cannabis,alt.drugs.pot,talk.politics.drugs,alt.drugs,alt.hemp,rec.drugs.misc,alt.drugs.psychedelics,rec.drugs.psychedelic,alt.drugs.chemistry,alt.drugs.culture,alt.drugs.hard,alt.folklore.herbs,alt.hemp.recreational,alt.drugs.pot.cultivation,alt.drugs.usenet,alt.hemp.politics
Subject: The Cannibis Collection (LETHALITY)
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 12:30:42 -0500

LETHALITY
By Alan Harder

[a--h] at [math.ams.org] (Alan Harder) wrote:

In response to those who were wondering about what it took to constitute a
lethal dose of pot, the following comes from the report of the National
Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse, 1972.

The full text is on my web page, http://www.calyx.net/~schaffer

LETHALITY

There is no conclusive evidence that short-term marijuana use alone
directly results in any physical damage to man.  A few scattered
fatalities associated with marijuana use are occasionally reported.  Most
are from 19th century Indian experiences with large oral doses of charas
(Deakin, 1880; Bouquet, 1951; Ewens, 1904, Walton, 1938; Indian Hemp
Drugs, 1893).  Brill et al. (1970) and Smith (1968) have noted that there
have not been any reliable reports of human fatalities attributable purely
to marijuana, although very high doses have been administered by users.

A frequently cited recent report from Belgium by Heyndrickx et al. (1970)
describes an essentially negative pathological and toxicological study of
a 23-year-old man found dead in the presence of marijuana, and hashish.  A
cannabinoid was detected in his urine.  However, this finding in no way
inculpates marijuana as the responsible agent.  There are many possible
causes of sudden death which are not toxins and do not produce observable
pathology; e.g. anaphylactic reactions, insulin shock, cardiac arhythmias,
etc.

A case report (Nahas, 1971) of an attempted suicide by smoking hashish,
recently in France is even more anecdotal.  An individual was reported to
have smoked consecutively ten pipes of hashish containing approximately
200 mg of Delta 9 THC each before losing consciousness.  But recovery
occurred after supportive treatment.
 . . . (snip)

Although a median lethal dose has not been established in man (Brill et
al., 1970), one has been found in laboratory animals. . . . .

An LD50 was not attainable in monkeys and dogs by the oral route. 
Enormous dose levels (over 3000 mg/kg of Delta 9 THC) were administered
without lethality to most animals.  A dose of about 1000 mg/kg THC was the
lowest dose which caused death in any animals The completeness of
intestinal absorption of THC at these high doses is unknown.  Behavioral
changes in the survivors included sedation, huddled posture, muscle
tremors, hypersensitivity to sound and hypermobility.

In summary, enormous doses of Delta 9 THC, All THC and concentrated
marijuana extract ingested by mouth were unable to produce death or organ
pathology in large mammals but did produce fatalities in smaller rodents
due to profound central nervous system depression.

The non-fatal consumption of 3000 mg/kg of Delta 9 THC by the dog and
monkey would be comparable to a 154-pound human eating approximately 46
pounds (21 kilograms) of 1%-marijuana or 10 pounds of 5% -hashish at one
time.  In addition, 92 mg/kg THC intravenously produced no fatalities in
monkeys.  These doses would be comparable to a 154-pound human smoking at
one time almost three pounds (1.28 kg) of 1%-marijuana or 250,000 times
the usual smoked dose and over a million times the minimal effective dose
assuming 50% destruction of the THC by smoking.
Thus, evidence from animal studies and human case reports appears to
indicate that the ratio of lethal dose to effective dose is quite large. 
This ratio is much more favorable than that of many other common
psychoactive agents including alcohol and barbiturates (Phillips et al.
1971, Brill et al. 1970).

(Standard disclaimers apply.)

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