Marijuana Overdoses or Deaths

Marijuana (Weed, Cannabis) Overdose
American Addiction Centers 2022, May 20

While rare, a marijuana overdose is still possible in some cases. Some of these are could have an impact mentally, heart related and lead to pale skin. Signs and symptoms of marijuana overdose might include:

• Extreme anxiety or panic attacks.
• Psychotic reactions in which someone loses touch with reality or becomes paranoid, sometimes in the form of hallucinations, delusions, or a loss of personal identity.
• Decreased judgment, perception, and coordination that can lead to injuries or even death.
• A fast heart rate, chest pain, or heart attack.
• Uncontrollable shaking or seizures.
• Pale skin color.
• Unresponsiveness.
• Sudden high blood pressure with headache…

Acute Marijuana Intoxication
Children’s Hospital Colorado 2022, January 3

The most common overdose incidents in children occur when the drug has been combined with food in an “edible” form of marijuana. This is because marijuana ingested in this manner can have a stronger and prolonged effect, especially in children under the age of 12 years old. 

In these instances, kids mistake “edible” marijuana (like gummy bears, brownies, lollipops, etc.) for regular food and eat it unknowingly. Small children are at higher risk based on their size and weight.  Because edible products have very high amounts of marijuana, the symptoms are more severe on a small child. Many young children who consume marijuana edibles require hospital admission due to the severity of their symptoms…

Cannabis as a cause of death: A review
National Center for Biotechnology Information  2019, March 14

Synthetic cannabinoids have caused a large number of emergency presentations to hospitals for adverse cardiovascular events including numerous deaths, particularly for the more potent analogs acting on the CB₁ receptor. While smoked cannabis use is often associated with significant changes in heart rate and cardiac output, amongst other physiological changes, it has been rarely considered in the forensic literature as a significant contributory or causal factor in sudden unexpected death. A review of case reports of admissions to hospitals for cardiovascular events was undertaken together with a review of epidemiological studies, and case reports of sudden death attributed, at least in part, to use of this drug. These publications show that use of cannabis is not without its risks of occasional serious medical emergencies and sudden death, with reports of at least 35 persons presenting with significant cardiovascular emergencies who had recently smoked a cannabis preparation. In addition, many cases of stroke and vascular arteritis have also been reported with the latter often involving a limb amputation. While it is a drug with widespread usage among the community with relatively few deaths when faced with a circumstance of very recent use (within a few hours), a positive blood concentration of THC and a possible cardiac-related or cerebrovascular cause of death this drug should be considered, at least, a contributory cause of death in cases of sudden or unexpected death…