In the book that I co-wrote with my good friend, Donal O’Mathuna, Ph.D., Alternative Medicine: The options, the claims, the evidence, how to choose wisely, we wrote an evidence-based article on marijuana. Here’s our fourth excerpt of that information.
In earlier excerpts, we discussed “What It Is,” “The Claims People Make about Marijuana,” and “Study Findings.” In this excerpt, we’ll discuss, “Cautions.” Next week, our final excerpt will review “Our Recommendations.”
Cautions
Advocates of medical marijuana point out that no one has ever reported a lethal overdose from marijuana. Estimates based on animals have put the amount needed to kill someone at about 20,000 times the amount normally used medically. This compares with some drugs whose lethal dose is only a few times the amount commonly prescribed.
While this may be the case, it would be analogous to claiming that since few people die from an alcohol overdose, no serious problems arise with the use of alcohol below its toxic levels.