How much pot would you have to smoke to die from it?
According to the famous 1972 report “Marihuana: A Signal of Understanding” that was released by the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, you can’t overdose from pot. Richard Nixon appointed these guys to prove marijuana was harmful, and when the results of their studies showed this wasn’t true, he ignored them. The report states that, “A careful search of the literature and testimony of the nation’s health officials has not revealed a single human fatality in the United States proven to have resulted solely from ingestion of marihuana. Experiments with the drug in monkeys demonstrated that the dose required for overdose death was enormous and for all practical purposes unachievable by humans smoking marihuana. This is in marked contrast to other substances in common use, most notably alcohol and barbiturate sleeping pills.”
Those poor monkeys. Or lucky monkeys, depending on how you look at it.
Since then, there seem to have been no overdoses either. Google it. Check the news every day. Go to the library and sift through years of newspapers on microfiche. Can you find a single, specific incident of someone dying from an overdose of pot? I couldn’t. Let me know if you can.
What percentage of U.S. residents smoke weed?
AIl depends on who you ask, or what timeframe you’re looking at. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) says that in 2009, 25.8 million Americans ages 12 and up used marijuana at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. The current U.S. population is about 310 million. If we trust these numbers, that means that more than 8 percent of our country likes to spark up from time to time. At least in the year 2009.
For comparison, there are about 3.5 million people currently living in the state of Connecticut.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse states that nearly 98 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried THC at some point in their lives. Not in the past year mind you, but ever. This would mean that almost a third of the citizens of our country have decided that they were going to risk trying the drug at some time or another, despite its illegality.
Hey Weedman! What’s a good Christmas present for a stoner friend?
How much have you got to spend? Like any other gift, it depends on the person and what their likes and dislikes are — do they usually smoke out of glass, or do they prefer joints? How ‘bout a bong? A big bong or a little bong? Would they enjoy something more exotic that what they’re used to, or are they stuck in their ways?
Accessories are usually a safe bet. A high-end grinder with a screen to sift out the kief is a nice addition to any paraphernalia collection. Glass bowls come in all shapes and sizes, but finding a one-of-a-kind work of art of a bowl can really heighten the smoking experience. The act of shopping for that special bowl can be much like shopping for fine art or jewelry if you really get into it.
If your wallet happens to be fat, it could be time to get your friend a vaporizer. Maybe some bowl cleaner as a stocking stuffer? If you really don’t know what you’re doing, go to your local head shop and ask for help. There are plenty of clean, legal, thriving head shops in the area, so you’d be supporting the local economy too.
Write to the Weed Man at highconcept@newmassmedia.com
