# Overdosing on Marijuana? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205 "2003-12-27T01:40:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/1 "2003-12-27T01:40:29Z")
has anyone ever overdosed on marijuana (pure, not laced with anything)? died from an overdose of it? if so, how much was it? (i know this probably depends on the type/quality of it.) ---
**Author:** ![Freiheit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e8c25b/32.png) [@Freiheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freiheit)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/2 "2003-12-27T01:45:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gypsymoth3 \* > \*\*has anyone ever overdosed on marijuana (pure, not laced with anything)? died from an overdose of it? if so, how much was it? (i know this probably depends on the type/quality of it.) \*\* What the He11? ---
**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/3 "2003-12-27T02:03:24Z")
sorry, i accidentally hit reply instead of new thread. i’ve asked a mod to fix it. i guess they’re not to quick on the job. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/4 "2003-12-27T02:25:21Z")
I don’t believe it’s possible to overdose on MJ. I read somewhere (sorry no cite) that it would take something like 5 lbs to reach toxic levels - an impossible feat. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/5 "2003-12-27T02:25:58Z")
No, they’re not. Anyways, I srated a similar thread about 2 months ago, and the answer was that there’s no evidence of it happening before ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/6 "2003-12-27T02:27:15Z")
srated = started ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/7 "2003-12-27T02:31:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eleusis \* > \*\*I don’t believe it’s possible to overdose on MJ. I read somewhere (sorry no cite) that it would take something like 5 lbs to reach toxic levels - an impossible feat. \*\* Maybe not that much, but still one hell of a lot. The [MSDS](http://www.emedco.com/emed2/resource/msds/msds_view.asp?pd=bv&pf=bzvbs) for tetrahydrocannabinol calls out an LD50 of 666 mg/kg. That’s an awful lot of joints. ---
**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/8 "2003-12-27T02:34:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Maybe not that much, but still one hell of a lot. The MSDS for tetrahydrocannabinol calls out an LD50 of 666 mg/kg. That’s an awful lot of joints. in simple english por favor? ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/9 "2003-12-27T02:38:22Z")
Man I didn’t even think to check the MSDS. At that rate, we’re looking at 53 grams of pure THC for an 80kg man. Assuming Colorado Thunder Fuck at 10% THC, that’s half a kilo of weed, or at 1 gram per joint, 500 joints. This does fail to take into account the various other cannabinoids other than THC. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/10 "2003-12-27T02:40:16Z")
LD50 is the dosage at which 50% of those given it die. This means that 50% of those dosed with 666 milligrams of THC per kilogram that they weigh will die. An typical man might weigh about 90 kilos. This person would have to ingest 59,940 milligrams or over 59 grams of THC to have a 50% chance of dying. If your typical marijuana is 10% THC (by weight), then you’d need to smoke 590 g of pot to ingest the LD50. OK, that _is_ a lot of weed. ---
**Author:** ![adirondack\_mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@adirondack\_mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adirondack_mike)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/11 "2003-12-27T02:55:36Z")
Is that ingestion or inhalation dose? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/12 "2003-12-27T02:58:11Z")
According to the MSDS, it’s oral, rat. ---
**Author:** ![adirondack\_mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@adirondack\_mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adirondack_mike)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/13 "2003-12-27T03:01:33Z")
Didn’t read the link. An inhalation LD50 dose may be much smaller than the ingestions route. I wonder if there are PELs or IDLH levels. Just watch out how many brownies you eat. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/14 "2003-12-27T03:05:09Z")
The LD50 for IV use is quite a bit lower, but I haven’t run across a study with an inhalation LD50. I think you’d die of smoke inhalation before you could get to that point. See my second post on [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=223777&perpage=50&pagenumber=2) page of a pit thread from last month for more details on LD50 studies done on THC. ---
**Author:** ![Winbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a88e57/32.png) [@Winbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winbob)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/15 "2003-12-27T03:16:47Z")
I don’t know what constitutes a lethal dose, but I don’t remember anything from 1968 until 1980! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/16 "2003-12-27T04:00:04Z")
My understanding of ODing is that it requires the drug to have an effect on a part of the brain responsible for life support function. Cocaine and heroin do, but marijuana, LSD, and shrooms do not. So you can get really messed up, but since they can’t incapacitate any of your involuntary nervous functions, you can’t smoke or trip yourself to death. ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/17 "2003-12-27T04:26:22Z")
Nameless, I have no cites, but I have seen news episodes of people dying from “shrooms.” Of course, many varieties are extremely toxic, so be sure of the so called “expert” who picked them. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/18 "2003-12-27T13:58:30Z")
No cite, but a friend of mine familiar with shrooms said that an overdose will lead to diarrhea and vomiting to the extent you can die of dehydration. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/19 "2003-12-27T14:02:12Z")
I once smoked so much dope that when I woke up and discovered who I was with I wished I was **dead**. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![DrlHn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@DrlHn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrlHn)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205/20 "2003-12-27T14:09:35Z")
Uh…that accounts for joints…how about those…uh…“special” brownies or cookies? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdosing-on-marijuana/221205.md?page=2)