What to Do if You Ate/Vaped/Smoked Too Much THC

It happens way too often: A newbie eats a 10mg THC cookie, has no initial reaction, eats another, and pretty soon the whole 100mg bag is gone. When the full payload kicks in an hour later, it’s freakout time (or “greenout,” in cannabis parlance). Same deal if you inhale the entire cannabis cloud, or eyedropper too much under your tongue. What to do next?

Keep Calm (to the Extent That’s Possible).

People don’t die from cannabis overdoses, they just feel paranoid or disoriented for, say, 12 hours. But as long as you don’t try to escape your head by plunging into an icy pond, you’ll be OK, in time. Try to sleep it off , take a walk (if your motor skills are up to it), and seek the comfort of a partner and friend to talk you down from any irrational anxieties.

Hair of the Dog. 

The second most-famous cannabinoid, CBD, has a moderating effect on THC, and it’s a potent anxiety fighter. CBD may help take the edge off .

Black Pepper to the Rescue.

Sniff or chew a few whole peppercorns. Neil Young swears by it, for good reason: According to the British Review of Pharmacology, cannabis and pepper share brain receptors, so they may work in concert to calm you down.

Don’t Go There. 

You learned your limits with alcohol, probably in your dorm room freshman year. Start low and inch upward with cannabis, whatever delivery method you choose. Then set limits and enjoy the high or the healing power, rather than push-ing the weed envelope.