Recreational marijuana is legal in this state. Some underage teens may access it in the same way they access alcohol.
While responsible marijuana vendors warn customers of the dangers of ingested marijuana, teens will likely miss out on this message. They have the right to know that ingested marijuana is much more dangerous than smoked marijuana for these reasons:
Ingested marijuana passes through the liver where the active ingredient THC is changed into the much more potent 11-hydroxy-THC.
It is impossible to gauge the correct dose of ingested marijuana and easy to take too much.
Because the effect takes longer to start, users can think they need to take more and take too much. It takes longer for the effect to wear off, so overdosing means the user is in for a really long, really bad time. This experience can include nausea, stomach pain, disorientation, delirium, paranoia, tremors, hallucinations and panic attacks that may require medical intervention.
Gaby Chapman
Durango
