Why is not possible to die of an overdose of cannabis

Why is it not possible to die of an overdose of cannabis?

Fortunately, it is becoming less common to hear what smoking marijuana can kill. Over time it will happen as it does with everything: the scientific and anthropological evidences will be so legitimized and accepted that this false belief will disappear.

Why is it not possible to die of an overdose of cannabis?
Throughout recent history, there have been genuine attacks on the scientific truth about cannabis. All these smear campaigns have one element in common. The lack of rigor, objectivity and independence in cannabis studies relegated him to progressive ostracism. The well-known "War on Drugs", coined and propitiated by the US Government of Nixon, achieved great power, but like the United Nations, it ignored the fact that cannabis use is something that affects us all.

This is one of the most fallacious claims about cannabis. Then we are going to disassemble it by means of a more precise explanation to a rigorous scientific positioning.

Organic Chemistry and Biology

According to the National Cancer Institute:

"Because cannabinoid receptors, unlike opioid receptors, are not found in areas of the brainstem that controls respiration, there are no lethal overdose of cannabis and cannabinoids."

That is, the presence of herbaceous cannabinoids will not depress or suppress breathing because cannabinoid receptors do not measure respiratory function.

In fact, no record of deaths associated with cannabis in all of history. However, it is possible to die from alcoholic intoxication or an overdose of opioids such as fentanyl, Oxycontin, or heroin. In this sense and in relation to the mechanism involved in opioid overdoses, K.T.S. Pattinson, a professor of anesthesiology at Oxford University, believes that the main death in opioid drug addicts is that their body literally forgets to breathe. As we explained before, the brainstem plays a crucial role in respiratory function. The beginning of the process of breathing begins here, located in the pre-Bötzinger complex. Opioids depress this area of ​​the pre-Bötzinger complex resulting in slow, arrhythmic breathing.

In extreme cases, ie when an opioid overdose occurs, the respiratory process is totally affected and the body begins to stop receiving oxygen and this leads to death. Opioid overdoses can only be fatal because of the situation of opiate receptors found, among other places, in the brainstem that deals with breathing. As we have said, opioid receptors are found in many areas of the brain and can affect more functions. In fact, in some cases, the circulatory system may be affected by these depressions of opioid origin that would lower blood pressure.

For its part, alcohol can become deadly. Only the liver's ability to metabolize alcohol should be exceeded. In addition, alcohol in our body produces effects that depress the same brain areas responsible for respiratory and circulatory functions. As we have said in the case of opioids, this can lead to death.

In contrast, cannabinoid receptors are arranged around the hippocampus, basal ganglia and cerebellum, in the region of the pre-Bötzinger complex we can hardly find them. These brain regions are responsible for cognition and movement but not for vital functions. This is the scientific reason why cannabis is not lethal

Fallacies as truths

Some drug-related health or therapeutic professionals believe that, although the above is irrefutable, cannabis use can kill by other means. Despite the scientific evidence, some sectors are reluctant to manage this reality from a consensual level. In this way, and to a large extent, thanks to politicians continue to promote these false beliefs. A good example is the "Therapeutic Center", a center authorized by the Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid. This therapeutic center supports the following:

"By altering marijuana, behavior and perception can lead to loss of the sense of responsibility, so consumers will lower their guard when taking precautions, such as sexual protection, thus increasing the risk of contagion Of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as to suffer abuse and rape. "

We see how the fallacious construction is made up of scientific terms, but of dubious validity. It is very common to find positions that are held by means of scientific disguise. They use very commonly expressions such as: "in most studies", "a recent study conducted by", "studies have shown that ...". Rare is the time in which they attach those studies that they mention as abales.

Regarding the question, why is it not possible to die of an overdose of cannabis ?, Therapeutic Center says:

"Although this idea focuses on the fact that there is no real risk of death from overdose with its consumption, the fact is that a person under the effects of marijuana, will have affected the motor coordination and reaction time, so a Once consumed may prove potentially deadly even for other people, such as the thousands of annual accidents that occur as a result of reckless driving under the effects of marijuana. "

It is still a very common problem. It is not tolerable for agencies, agencies and other entities affected by the state to promote a distorted image on cannabis. Something that is most easily demonstrated through the results of autopsies in driving accidents is the contrasted incidence of psychotropic drugs. However, cannabis is demonized by data of dubious reliability due, in large measure, to the scarce normalization of this.

Overdosing

Overdosing means consuming a higher dose than you need to see certain effects. It is very easy to overdosing with marijuana, although progressively will be more difficult due to habituation. However, excessive consumption of cannabis and prolonged over time, especially with varieties rich in THC, facilitates the possibility of the appearance of paranoid and psychotic pictures.

Cannabis use is not harmless. It's just chemistry. If consumed in the usual way for enough time will affect how to interact with the world. Short-term memory, amygdala-related processes, some tachycardias and imbalances in social interaction may be the result of prolonged and excessive cannabis use. However, nothing that is not irreversible through abstinence.

However, a prudent and responsible consumption will not only not kill you, but it does not have to cause problems. This does not mean that one goes to the faculty all placed or to the office in the morning smoking a canuto. This means that cannabis is perfectly valid to reach a different state of consciousness. Says Andy Chango "It's interesting for anyone to destroy reality, at least a couple of times in life." Reality is nothing more than what everyone believes until someone discovers otherwise.