Colleagues secretly dose one of their own with medibles. Now they’re being charged.
Cannabis, when consumed in a high enough dose, induces a strong psychoactive effect. Just ask Chris Kilham, “The Medicine Hunter”, about his experience in Kathmandu, Nepal. Thankfully, when consumed in smaller doses, the psychoactive impact of cannabis can be relatively weak while still providing countless benefits. For that reason, medibles have become a popular method of medicating in a delicious, yet health-conscious way.
However, that doesn’t mean medibles are a categorically safe substance.
And medibles aren’t for everyone. They will cause different reactions than smoking weed. As a result, they take some practice and trial before learning the proper dose. And, of course, you need to be aware of what you’re consuming. The onset of a psychoactive reaction without someone being aware of their cannabis consumption creates an incredibly unstable experience. If you unknowingly take a medible, you may think you’re being poisoned. That’s just what happened when a Californian man slipped one of his coworkers a medible in the form of cannabis-infused chocolate.
Sadly, the 20-year-old woman did not respond well. Moreover, this occurred in their workplace. She was disoriented and was eventually rushed to the hospital with suspected poisoning. An unwittingly induced psychoactive event is no joke – even for experienced patients.
If you’ve ever met someone who gets paranoid when they knowingly use cannabis, imagine their reaction if they enter that state without intention.
This turns what some people might think is a “joke” into a serious moral question.
Cannabis is Not Candy
This is perhaps the first thing to remember: it’s not candy. While there are ‘recreational’ uses to it, that term implies a certain innocuousness that is absent in cannabis use.
Whether someone is eating medibles to assist with their inflammatory bowel disease, to help them relax in the evening, or to calm their anxiety before they head out for work in the morning, all use is medicinal.
The idea that recreational uses don’t also heal is absurd, so it’s important to remember that even cannabis in edible form is not an innocent piece of candy. When THC is eaten, it’s processed in the liver and converted into 11-hydroxy-THC, which can be much stronger in terms of its psychoactive impact. This can be especially scary for someone who may have tried cannabis, but not in its edible form and, furthermore, is not aware they’re eating an edible.
Intention Matters with Medibles
The enhanced psychoactive effect is one reason medibles must only be used with intention, but there are plenty of others.
Cannabis is a medicine, and every medicine has side effects – especially when taken unwittingly. The young woman in California experienced shortness of breath and severe confusion after her coworker illegal dosed her.
If another person had consumed that piece of chocolate with the intention of reducing pain, it would have done so. Intention is critical to the efficacy of medicine.
It’s a Spiritual Violation
People find a deep connection in the healing process and experience of cannabis. The healing process goes deeper than alleviating physical pain or emotional distress. Cannabis, for many, is a spiritual plant.
In fact, there are religions attached to cannabis and millions of people around the world thank cannabis for their life. To many people, it’s more than just a plant.
Considering the context that surrounds cannabis, slipping it into someone’s body is a blatant moral violation of the spirit. You’ve enforced what can be a spiritual journey on a non-consenting individual. As such, you could ruin the plant and its many healing benefits for the person you’ve dosed without consent.
The Worst Case Scenario of Secretly Dosing Someone with Cannabis
Our body’s cannot properly process multiple pharmaceuticals. That is why doctors warn their patients about drug-to-drug interactions.
In the worst case scenario of secret dosing, you could trigger a negative reaction. Cannabis doesn’t mix well with all pharmaceuticals, and you can’t assume you know what drugs that person is taking for other ailments. According to research, CBD inhibits some enzymes from breaking down key components in pharmaceutical drugs. For example, the combination of CBD and the blood-thinner Warfarin may extend the length and effect of the pharmaceutical.
In other words, you could cause serious health problems and hinder their much needed treatment.
The Legal Consequences of Dosing Someone with Medibles
As happened to the Californian man who dosed his co-worker with a medible, doing so will put someone behind bars. Aside from the moral implications we discussed, it’s illegal to give someone a drug without them knowing.
Do you think it’s a form of assault to secretly dose someone with cannabis? Let us know in the comments!
