40 People Hospitalized After Cannabis Celebrations in Vancouver

40 cannabis users OD'd and sent to hospital in Vancouver

Image Credit: By EB Adventure Photography on Shutterstock

April 20th has historically been a day celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts across the world. In places where cannabis is legal and cannabis culture is more mainstream, celebrations have been bigger and more open. Vancouver is a perfect example of this. However, it turns out that a large number of the revelers who decided to celebrate 4/20 in Vancouver last week may have overestimated their tolerance and 40 were hospitalized as a result.

Celebrations Go Too Far

On Sunset Beach, the celebrations were in full swing. There were roughly 40,000 persons and 482 cannabis sellers attending the event. The celebrations lead to 23 incidents, including 10 overdose calls. 8 of these calls resulted in hospital visits. Vancouver’s St Paul’s hospital reported 40 cases of people suffering from cannabis overdoses. While not all of these patients came to the hospital via ambulance, it is believed that the majority of these people, if not all of them, came from the Sunset Beach 4/20 rally.

None of the patients had to stay overnight so serious incidents were avoided. Doctors believe that none of the patients had actually overdosed, as it’s almost impossible to overdose on cannabis due to the fact that one must consumer over 400 times their own body weight. In saying this, too much of cannabis use can cause

  • Hallucinations
  • Paranoia
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Panic attacks
  • Mental confusion

These symptoms, are very unpleasant, can’t kill you on their own. Often the best solution is just to try and sleep it off. However, the incident has caused some people to question the recreational use of cannabis in Canada. Canadian society is one of the most pro-cannabis societies in the world and the government is seen as one of the most liberal in relation to cannabis.

It’s not surprising that this development would cause concern for many people. However, given the fact that no serious harm or injury was caused, it’s not likely that it will lead to any serious change in regulation.

Niamh Tumilty
Niamh Tumilty
Niamh Tumilty is a writer and multimedia producer for cannabisMD where she is constantly evaluating the continued growth of CBD and its presence in the news. Her research and writing on cannabis and CBD can be found at niamhtumilty.com.

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