What To Do If You Get Too High.

article432760.jpg

First remember and repeat to yourself - Noone has EVER died from marijuana use. Ever. In all history. You are NOT going to be the first one! Here are some things you can do to help ride it out …

  • You can splash cold water on your face, or put a cold cloth, an ice pack or a frozen bag of peas on the back of your neck. This can help lower your temperature and help blood flow which will help clear the episode. Take deep breaths, ten seconds in and ten out.

  • Drink water! Cannabis dehydrates you. Drink it at room temperature so there’s no shock to your system. Further, you can count on good old Vitamin C - it helps stabilize THC - so drink any citrus juice on hand. If you have chewable Vitamin C, take that and chew it as long as you can, getting the juices under the tongue. Oranges, grapes, blueberries and bananas are easiest to eat when nauseous. Coconut water, Aloe water or gatorade also work great. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol for a bit. Too much fun in one barrel is no good!

  • Tell someone immediately, a human voice you trust can do wonders! If you’re alone, call a calm friend, or someone that won’t make fun of you, or cause you to panic, because if others are panicking, it will elevate your panic. If they are calm, they will calm you down. Tell them to tell stories or crack jokes to get your mind off things. Cannabis has a lot of inertia, and it can go either way depending on your surroundings and the person you are talking to.

  • If your surroundings are not calm, change them. If you’re inside go out, or to another room. If you’re outside, find a quiet place to temporarily hang out, like a park or backyard. If you’re at a concert or loud place, head to the bathroom. If you’re alone, call someone you can trust and talk to them as you head to somewhere safe and quiet. Don’t do this alone tho!

  • If you are near nature and are able to walk, head to the nearest park or ravine! You can be way higher there than in a man-made environment, and the extra oxygen will help tremendously! Look at the light dabbling through trees, or stare at the stars, or listen to rain under a gazebo. In fact, when I go for dog walks I LIKE to get this high! (my dog’s got my back).

  • Watch puppy or kitten videos. They always make me happy! Or you can watch nature programs that are guaranteed to not be violent or might upset you. I sometimes watch jelly fish or deep sea creatures, like the ones that are bio-luminescent. Or just live feed videos streams of a forest or babbling brook on YouTube, I find that very calming.

  • Remind yourself that noone has ever died from cannabis, ever. Say it again if you have to!

  • If you are really anxious and need to block all noise around you, try curling up somewhere and playing ambient music, sleep music or binaural beats (easily found on YouTube). Play with earbuds on low, just loud enough to help cancel any noise around you. Remember to take deep breaths.

  • Do not be worried or embarrassed if you pass out momentarily. We call it a green out, and it’s not as bad experiencing it, as what someone else might witness, you just won’t remember much of it. If you feel you are going to pass out, don’t fight it, just sit on the ground and ride it out. It’s just your brains way of resetting, like a computer. But as soon as you can, get outside and get oxygen and drink water!

  • Do not be worried or embarrassed if you puke, let it out! Especially if you have had an edibles, your body wants it gone. If you have been drinking or ate acidic food, or an entire bag of chips - your body wants it gone. It needs to be gone so your body can start the process of righting itself back to normal. In fact, its not unheathly to stick your fingers down your throat to activate the process. Let that puke out!

  • If you feel it is a THC overdose, ie if you ate THC infused gummies, candies or drinks, or if you took a dab or smoked a high THC sativa. Then you can consider taking pure CBD, if you can get ahold of it. CBD will help calm the effects of THC and will ease the anxiety and calm the heart rate. It can be found at some dispensaries, online delivery services, and oddly a lot of pet shops carry it for dog pain. This last recommendation should be used with caution. 

  • If you really feel it is an emergency, call 911 or go to Emergency and ask them for help. Canadian doctors, nurses and paramedics are trained in what to do, just don’t lie to them tho! And don’t be surprised if you get to the hospital and they make you wait longer than others, remember hospital services are not on a first come first serve, they will take emergencies over non emergencies. Being too high on cannabis is not an emergency, and you will likely lose your high while waiting for a doctor, but at least you will be in a safe place!

  • Most cases of cannabis overdose end in panic, but never death. However, don’t forget that panic itself is very harmful, it can cause a miriad of problems, so it is very crucial you stay calm when you are too high.

  • If you suspect or have a documented history of schizophrenia in your family, you should avoid cannabis altogether.