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Q.1: Dear Dr. Russo,
We have a grow operation next to us we are working with and in the evening, during the venting process (this crop is only nearing the harvest), the odour is fairly bad - our children are getting severe headaches and stomach cramps. We are also experiencing headaches and upset stomachs. Are these fumes harmful to our health and the health of our children? Is there a medication we can take? Our family doctor has prescribed inhalers, as he suspects we may have an allergy to something.
Please answer back as soon as possible, as the crop is coming into maturity and the odour has started again. The ozoneator just can’t keep up, I suspect.
Thanks! - Kelly

A: I must say that your question is an unusual one, but has a ready explanation.

While many people find the scent of growing cannabis pleasant, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. I suspect that your family members are sensitive to the high quantity of fumes. Perhaps you are migraine-susceptible, as people who are may experience similar symptoms with any strong odour, such as diesel, perfume, chlorine bleach, etc. This is not an allergy. There is no long-term risk from it. While migraine-preventing drugs might help, it makes absolutely no sense to medicate this problem, when the answer is common sense: you must limit your exposure. The solution would be to manage the venting more efficiently, aim it somewhere else, or isolate family members from the grow-op.

Q.2: Dear Dr. Russo, I am 58 years old and use cannabis to relieve the pain of arthritis. I smoke and eat cannabis that I grow myself. I have a black lab named Arthur (Art to his friends) who is almost 10 years old and has lots of old dog problems and is in his final few years. About 6 months ago I started to share my brownies with Arthur. I have given him very small amounts but I am convinced he is more active and in less pain. I have been frightened to ask my vet for fear of being accused of animal abuse.
Am I helping him?
Gloria T. - Montreal, Quebec

A: I was initially hesitant to respond to this question, but as the son and brother of veterinarians, I felt compelled to do my best. Dogs and humans are much more alike than different. Cannabis has had a venerable history in veterinary medicine, particularly as a colic treatment in horses and mules, two difficult species that do not have the equipment to vomit when they need to do so. Dogs are particularly sensitive to getting ataxia (wobbliness) when overdosed on cannabis. That would be a sure sign of giving too much. Although I think that ‘Rover’ may well benefit from such treatment, I would advise caution, and certainly hope that you do not run afoul of the Humane Society or other agencies interested in the welfare of our domestic companion animals. Cheers.

Q.3: Dear Dr.Russo,
Oh no! I ate the whole brownie.
A friend of mine who is a Leukemia survivor recently had a very bad experience after eating a small piece of a cannabis brownie. She has used Cannabis successfully over the last few years for pain and nausea relief, but is now afraid to try it again. About 1 hour after consuming the quarter-sized brownie she started to feel slightly nauseated, dizzy and disoriented. But the feelings quickly intensified to panic, anxiety, increased heart rate, sweating and vomiting.
A friend took her to the hospital and they told the doctor about the brownie. The doctor was not overly concerned about the cannabis itself, but felt is was more of a drug interaction to the large quantities of cancer maintenance medications she was also taking.
The doctor gave her Benadryl, Prochlorperazine (Stemetil), Magnesium which seemed to help after a 3 hour delay.
My question is: Is there anything a person can take or do to counteract the feeling of being overstoned?

A: It is hard to be absolutely specific in responding to this question, as the exact drugs your friend was taking are not listed. Chances are that the reaction may have had very little to do with the cannabis per se. However, the anxiety and increased heart rate are typical of what can occur with cannabis. The usual treatment is talking down, since the symptoms are self-limited, and very amenable to suggestion.
In general, cannabis may have additive sedative effects with other drugs in that classification. It has been reported that indomethacin (Indocin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) may counteract a cannabis high. As with any drug combinations, caution is advisable, and use of low doses that are increased as needed. Situations such as this are better treated with a vapourizer, where a slow and steady dose titration is possible, as opposed to a single dose of oral cannabis that may come on slowly, irregularly, or too strongly.

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