I OD'd on THC

Well this is certainly not a topic I set out to write about, or experience. It's embarrassing to say the least! But I did over do it and I'm still alive and sane to talk about it. So, as per usual I'm using this experience to help educate those who are seeking information.

First off. I didn't die. Didn’t even come close! I didn't go crazy. I didn't try to hurt anyone, and I didn't run around my city, street, house or anywhere else talking nonsense or trying to jump off bridges. I didn't even need to go to the hospital. Whatever your preconceived notion is that could go wrong did not. All that did happen was I went to bed. Boring, eh? 

Here's everything I did wrong. 

The other night after work I made the family some banana bread. Most of the way through the process I decided this would be a great time to try using some of the AVB (already vaped bud) in some baking and then I could blog about it. With the batter ready I filled one large loaf pan and two small ones with normal batter. I added my finely ground AVB to the left over batter and made my own mini loaf. Alas, I was not my normal careful self. I got sloppy. 

I had assumed that AVB was not as strong as freshly

de-carbed bud. Correct, but WRONG!  The 1/8 cup (...Yes, I said cup!) of AVB I added was WAY too much for the TINY loaf pan I had. Oh, but it smelled heavenly! Here’s where I REALLY went wrong…I ate two pieces. It was a small loaf, I thought, one slice is like a half of a regular slice. No problem!  
Oh, yeah….then I had a half joint right after cuz that’s the habit I’ve gotten into each evening before bed. 

The result? By the time I got back home from our evening walk around the block it was rounding the hour from when I had eaten the AVB Banana Bread. I started to feel dizzy, had difficulty seeing straight and I just started to feel generally bad. This was when it dawned on me that I had eaten too much. I decided to put myself to bed right away. I was able to behave normally, nobody knew I had over done it at all nor was I mentally incapacitated. Though I did fall asleep pretty quickly. (It's taken my describing this twice to my husband for him to realize I wasn't just normal sick that night, I was over-dose sick).

Poor guy!

Normal bodily functions woke me twice in the middle of the night (unlike overdoing it with alcohol and literally pissing yourself in a drunken sleep). It was the middle of the night when I noticed my mouth really tasted bad! Like I had eaten an ashtray, all of it! Teeth brushing and mouthwash only lessened this nasty taste for a little while. It was like the taste was coming from the inside of me rather than from something I had put in my mouth. 

The next morning I got up for work, but still felt horrid. Nauseated actually. I got ready anyway, but standing looking at the door to leave was as far as I could get. It was my own fault I felt like this and I deserved to feel this way for being so stupid. But the people at work did not deserve to have me bale on them cuz I was stupid….I called in anyway and was pretty much in tears as I told the supervisor I couldn’t leave the house for fear of throwing up. The deed done, I stripped off my uniform and fell back into bed, make-up on and all. That’s where I remained for several hours, slipping in and out of sleep and often wondering if I should run for the toilet; was this going to be the time I finally threw up? I never did, but the feeling persisted for the better part of two days. And the taste that lingered contributed to the nausea. 

For those who don't understand, and may think I'm exaggerating, or may think I didn't actually over dose, let’s recap…. I literally used more AVB in a small 1/3 sized loaf pan than I should have for a whole recipe. That's nearly 8 times more than I should have eaten in one sitting. 

Things that happened when I over dosed on THC:

1. I got dizzy
2. I had trouble seeing well (This strain of bud that I used is known to counter the eye pressure of glaucoma. I figure this explains my vision problems)
3. I fell deeply asleep.
4. I was nauseated and had little desire to eat for about 48 hours.

What did NOT happen when I over dosed on THC:

1. I did not die
2. I did not fall into a drug induced coma, preventing me from waking to my own bodily needs
3. I didn’t attempt suicide (or attempt self propelled flight)
4. I did not lose my sanity. 

I did throw out the rest of my medicated banana bread though. Just the smell of it made me sick. And the thought of attempting to bake with AVB is not as exciting as it once was. I’m still saving it mind you. I can’t bring myself to throw it out though. Its extremely economical to save it and use it on an edible fire cracker or something. It’s like free THC! You use it once to medicate, save it and use it again with just almost as much benefit.

Just heed my warning, as non-life threatening as OD’ing on THC is, it’s not necessarily pleasant. That goes for smoked, vaped, or eaten. Though I think it’s easier to over do it with edibles for two reasons, it takes so long to kick in, and unless you do the actual math you don’t know how much medicine you’re eating. So, please! Be aware of what you eat. 'Measure twice, cut once' are my fathers wise words that could apply here just as easily as they do to most of life's little odd jobs. 

So tread lightly friends, and be diligent with measuring out your medicines, especially with edibles! But know too, in case you do hit a snag like I did, this too shall pass and you will live!

What I'll be doing from now on is using a method more like this...

AVB Weed Recipes. 

              Happy medicating.

(P.s. Thanks Chef Luigi for making this great video!)

How and Why I use Cannabis Infused Oils

None of my Non-medicating friends (that's all of the people I know pretty much) want to hear me talk
about what I've learned and why I do what I do. That's fine. My husband has to hear about it, until I over load him with details. Last night while explaining something to him I realized, it's exactly what I need to explain in my next blog post. How and Why I use Cannabis Infused Oils.

From my reading, video watching and experimenting there are now a few things I do because it makes medical and/or logical sense to me. This works for me. Something else might work best for you. I also realize that there are places with fewer or more regulations than I now have in Canada. You do what's best for you. I'm just giving you some ideas that you might want to learn or adopt. In the mean time, I'm always learning! So tomorrow it's possible, with more information, I may change how I do things.

When I purchase my medical marijuana I get a full range of strains. My desire is to get the best strains to fit the physical issues I have, gently intertwined with the type of high they produce. I have to factor how the product will be used, if I had it last time, as well as taste. Taste matters to me since vaping releases way more of the specific taste of each strain than smoking a joint does. I always choose the high CBD strain, two Sativa and two Indica strains. About 1/3 of the bud goes to oil and the other 2/3 to vaping or joints (maybe its closer to 1/2 and 1/2). 

The Oil 

I use Coconut oil because I have read that Coconut oil is more bio-available. It has a higher fat content than butter, and thus a better

carrier for the cannabinoids. Coconut oil has many of its own health benefits and is easily absorbed by the skin since it melts with your own body heat. It smells great, and adds flavour. It is both edible and great for topicals so I don't bother with Cannabutter anymore. I can make one small "batch" (all of 1/4 cup today) and divid it up, half to some edibles and half to topical use. Two separate jars of course so as not to end up eating what I've stuck my fingers into. 

 Note: storage can be fridge or counter top, depending on how hot it is. Coconut oil will liquify in a warm room. This does not change the medicinal (or other) effects of the infused oil, but it affects what I store it in. I found a small sample glass jar (0.5oz) to be the perfect size to store or carry my Infused oil. As testament, my jar of liquified oil did not leak during my recent cross Province flights (but my face wash did). 

The Cannabis Infused Coconut Oil

I infuse the coconut oil with at least three different strains of Cannabis. About 1/3 of the weigh is the
high CBD, 1/3 Sativa and 1/3 Indica. The reason for this is so I get a wide spectrum of medicinal value for my effort. The CBD strain is great for reducing inflammation which causes or contributes to pain and it reduces spasticity (like Restless Leg Syndrome). The Sativa provides a happy or euphoric energy that I like in the day. It has anti-depressant properties that have changed my life! The Indica provides good pain killing effects that I need. Yes, the indica usually produces a heavy body feel making one dopey and sleepy. Not a great effect when I need to medicate every day, all day. The benefit of having all three strains in the oil in equal-ish amounts is the CBD and Sativa help counter the sleepy and the high effects of the Indica strain. It sort of levels everything out so that there is less (but still some) effect of the high, with all the medicinal value. That being said, if I take in more than the 1/4 tsp I use I can still get pretty blazed!

How I Medicate

A typical day when I can medicate freely and without interruptions involves four methods of intake.
In the morning I will ingest about 1/4 tsp of Infused Coconut oil. Either by melting it in my morning coffee (which I do in a small cup on the side, like a shot) or in a food item I have made. Eating the Infused Oil provides a good pain reducer for up to five hours I've found. Before getting dressed I rub infused oil into my arthritis (AO) affected knees and the muscles on my left arm. The oil absorbs in quickly and does not leave a greasy feel. Because I apply it to or near the source of pain and inflammation it is a more targeted approach specifically to reduce them. Since I first tested it out I will not work a shift without first applying the oil to my knees.

The rest of the day I use my Vape. Throughout the day I vape a mix of High CBD and one or both of the sativas I have. This, layered on top of the body/pain relieving high that I've already started by eating the oil helps the medicine to stay at the same level with little drop off, unless I have restraints in my ability to vape, which can happen, especially while at work.
Come evening is when I exclusively use the Indica/CBD mix. I could vape this, but for some reason, out of habit since it's the first thing I tried maybe, I like to roll a joint with one or both my Indicas. I have also used a bong and a pipe instead of a joint from time to time, but I find the activity of sitting outside for a puff rather relaxing while the weather is nice. The reason I use no Sativa and only Indica/CBD at bed time is to keep me relaxed and sleepy rather than energetic. I mix the Indica and CBD strain because the first is
pain relief and the CBD strain relaxes and stops the restless leg syndrome I fought for about 2 years. It helps me fall asleep and stopped my over active mind, the pain in my arm and knees, and completely stopped the leg spasms that kept me from falling asleep every night for hours.


This method of medicating works for me because most of it is discreet, easy to do anywhere, anytime, and its effects are long lasting. I'm sure if it was necessary to go a period of time without being able to go out for a puff I will still be able to medicate without anyone being the wiser with just my infused coconut oil.