# Eating Cannabis **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031 "2015-03-02T18:55:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/1 "2015-03-02T18:55:23Z")
[The DEA is concerned about medical marijuana legalization in Utah leading to stoned, hungry rabbits.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/02/dea-warns-of-stoned-rabbits-if-utah-passes-medical-marijuana/) For a primate to get stoned off eating cannabis, you can’t just eat it raw - you have to extract the THC oil in one way or another. Or so I’ve heard. Does raw cannabis affect lagomorphs differently than it does primates? Or is the DEA blowing smoke (see what I did there)? ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/2 "2015-03-02T20:47:42Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > [The DEA is concerned about medical marijuana legalization in Utah leading to stoned, hungry rabbits.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/02/dea-warns-of-stoned-rabbits-if-utah-passes-medical-marijuana/) > > For a primate to get stoned off eating cannabis, you can’t just eat it raw - you have to extract the THC oil in one way or another. Or so I’ve heard. > > Does raw cannabis affect lagomorphs differently than it does primates? Or is the DEA blowing smoke (see what I did there)? I’m just giving you hearsay from about 30 years ago so please take my answer as a guess. I was once told/read somewhere that the the THC was actually the plant’s natural defense against grazing animals. Its purpose is to do exactly what it does. That slightly altered state of mind that humans find enjoyable is very unwanted in other animals. Being confused and disoriented is not happy frame of reference for a prey animal. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/3 "2015-03-02T22:43:56Z")
True, but then again that seems like a self-correcting problem. I.e. those bunnies that figure out that eating hemp leads to stonination followed by a short, sharp squeak carry on, while the stoners get eaten by feral wolves. Kind of like real life :). That being said, there are plenty of critters that get high in the wilds, be it on a seasonal (i.e. that time of the year when the summer fruit starts getting too ripe and naturally ferments) or year-long basis. Including due to human influence : some Caribbean macaques have apparently figured out that those big dumb hairless monkeys on the beach drink some \*really \*awesome stuff and have moved from deliberately chomping on rotting sugar cane to doing hit-and-runs on tourists with cocktails. They don’t seem the worse for it on a population basis (it’s a known fact that alcohol enhances one’s chances at mating, right ?). Although it appears they tend to move away from their hardcore boozing as they get older. Didn’t we all ? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/4 "2015-03-03T18:36:54Z")
No cite, but I thought I read about some wild pigs in Indonesia who ate wild marijuana to the extent that you could get high from eating the pork. Pigs aren’t primates, and I have also - er, heard - that eating raw marijuana did not get you high, and that it had to be smoked or cooked into brownies or otherwise heat-treated. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/5 "2015-03-03T18:40:54Z")
Why the hell does the DEA care if rabbits get stoned? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/6 "2015-03-03T18:41:45Z")
I wonder how much the tax payers will end up paying over the DEA’s concern for marijuana abuse among rabbits? ---
**Author:** ![rock\_party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@rock\_party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rock_party)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/7 "2015-03-03T18:56:26Z")
Years ago “the tray” got slid under the bed when the parents arrived at a friends apartment unannounced. The pooch ate a bud and was quite wobbly for a couple of hours. The effect might be there to give the grazers the munchies to they’ll eat more and poop out seeds. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/8 "2015-03-03T18:58:42Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Why the hell does the DEA care if rabbits get stoned? You’d think they’d be all about training a bunch of rabbits to hunt the stuff down and eat it before it could be harvested. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/9 "2015-03-04T00:00:16Z")
I can tell you from first hand experience on a student trip to Amsterdam that primates can indeed get VERY stoned from eating raw cannabis. Or at least the flowering part of the plant. Bit on the dry side though… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/10 "2015-03-04T00:02:23Z")
Skimming the titles, I thought this one was 'Eating **Cannibals**. I guess I’m having a Total Coelo moment. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/11 "2015-03-04T00:17:07Z")
I read an article about the health benefits of eating fresh, green cannabis. Supposedly that won’t get you stoned. Most pot articles are somewhere between anecdotal and wild fantasy. Once it’s dried & cured I think it becomes more potent, or psychoactive. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/12 "2015-03-05T19:57:44Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I’m just giving you hearsay from about 30 years ago so please take my answer as a guess. I was once told/read somewhere that the the THC was actually the plant’s natural defense against grazing animals. Its purpose is to do exactly what it does. That slightly altered state of mind that humans find enjoyable is very unwanted in other animals. Being confused and disoriented is not happy frame of reference for a prey animal. I think there are a number of doubts this hypothesis raises, making it less likely to be true. First, pot doesn’t make people disoriented or confused. Second, those are concepts that require a theory of mind in animals that we are not at all sure of. Third, cats readily eat wild catnip and appear to enjoy it, as they keep coming back to it. Fourth, many animals are found to be attracted to fermenting fruits, possibly for the change in reality that it may engender. I don’t think that theory makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/13 "2015-03-05T20:17:50Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > … I have also - er, heard - that eating raw marijuana did not get you high, and that it had to be smoked or cooked into brownies or otherwise heat-treated. I can state from personal experience that this is not the case. I once made a sandwich out of a heap of unsmokable leaves and it did its job quite well. > [@Kobal2](#): > > True, but then again that seems like a self-correcting problem. I.e. those bunnies that figure out that eating hemp leads to stonination followed by a short, sharp squeak carry on, while the stoners get eaten by feral wolves. Kind of like real life :). Marijuana has been known to make humans paranoid, usually when they have something to worry about (e.g., the Fuzz). It does not actually dull the senses, as such, it can make a person _more_ alert, depending on the situation, so the idea that weed eaters would get selected out seems pretty questionable to me. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/14 "2015-03-05T20:19:08Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > For a primate to get stoned off eating cannabis, you can’t just eat it raw - you have to extract the THC oil in one way or another. Or so I’ve heard. This is incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/15 "2015-03-05T20:27:56Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Skimming the titles, I thought this one was 'Eating **Cannibals**. > > I guess I’m having a Total Coelo moment. If we’re not supposed to eat cannibals, why are they all made out of meta? ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/16 "2015-03-05T20:43:13Z")
> [@CC](#): > > First, pot doesn’t make people disoriented or confused. What? This differs from my experiences back in the day. Being dazed and confused was part of getting high. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/17 "2015-03-06T22:22:35Z")
I can only speak from many (~45) years of experience with it and with people who were using it - it has many and admittedly varied effects on people, but I’ve never seen or heard of anyone being disoriented or confused. Perceptions may be altered, intensified, or in some ways different from normal, but there’s not the disassociation with reality that one usually associates with disorientation or confusion. Your experiences may be different. ---
**Author:** ![misterW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@misterW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misterW)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/18 "2015-03-08T10:18:27Z")
> [@CC](#): > > I can only speak from many (~45) years of experience with it and with people who were using it - it has many and admittedly varied effects on people, but I’ve never seen or heard of anyone being disoriented or confused. Perceptions may be altered, intensified, or in some ways different from normal, but there’s not the disassociation with reality that one usually associates with disorientation or confusion. Your experiences may be different. Try eating a large quantity of it. ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/19 "2015-03-10T11:35:15Z")
Wait a minute. So you guys say you don’t have to smoke it? Would it have same effect if someone used it on pizza? Like or instead of oregano? Or make a salad of it. Like or instead of lettuce? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031/20 "2015-03-10T12:14:28Z")
> [@yo\_han\_go](#): > > Wait a minute. So you guys say you don’t have to smoke it? Would it have same effect if someone used it on pizza? Like or instead of oregano? **Or make a salad of it. Like or instead of lettuce?** See post 18. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-cannabis/714031.md?page=2)