Cannabis is almost always regarded as the least risky drug of all. However, some researchers have deliberately administered a high dose of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to subjects in various ways to study its effects.
After seeing that our ancestors used hallucinogens in the Bronze Age, in this double-blind (a popular scientific research method) placebo-controlled study, the team examined the effects of large doses of vaporized THC on some volunteers and compared them to the effects of ingesting cannabis, psilocybin and other various hallucinogens.
Participants smoked cannabis that contained 0, 10, or 25 milligrams of THC consumed within 10 minutes. In one volunteer, the effects in the first phase were minimal and included cardiovascular effects and some impairment in cognitive tests. However, when he took part in the fourth phase of the experiment, by inhaling vaporized cannabis that contained 25 milligrams of THCthe effects were much stronger and got progressively worse over the first 20 minutes after inhalation.
“Had difficulty answering questions from staff, was unable to complete self-assessment questionnaires, had difficulty keeping her head up, and he seemed to periodically fall asleep or lose consciousness despite encouragement from research staff to stay awake and carry on“wrote the team.
The volunteer with the fictitious name HC, in the following hours remained in a non-ideal state for the experimenters, given that when he could speak it was above all to report feeling nauseous and pain in the body and neck. A good three hours after the initial dose, HC reported experiencing a series of strange hallucinogenic effects.
“He described visual distortions in the form of the sinking room and floor and the appearance of patterns moving on the carpet and chairs in the room‘, wrote the team, further noting how it was ‘curious’ that had not experienced the same effects from smoking the substance with the same dose of THC. Despite the doubts about legalizing cannabisthe researchers believe that this could be partially attributed to other components smoked or ingested at the same time as THC.