Intravenous Marijuana Syndrome

Intravenous Marijuana Syndrome is a rare distinct short-term clinical syndrome related to the IV injection of boiled cannabis broth, which had been filtered through a cotton cloth. The syndrome has at least 25 known cases in the English language literature, all prior to 1983. Symptoms included "myalgia, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and weakness." All known patients recovered with normal care, with an average hospital stay of 9 days. In a controlled study, subjects were injected with cannabinoids, but no adverse effects were observed.

The psychoactive constituents of cannabis are terpenoids which are not water soluble and thus not suitable for a broth-type preparation for injection with any efficacy. A laboratory setting for injection of cannabinoids would use a lipid soluble intravenous emulsion vehicle such as soy lecithin for injection (as is done with propofol & other medicinally injected drugs which are not water soluble). Additionally, the tetrahydrocannabinol would need one of its carboxyl groups removed, as is usually done by the liver or combustion of plant material, in order to cross the blood-brain barrier and get the user "high". Otherwise what is active, from out of what is administered in way of the desired compound, would have wholly negligible effects, from not truly being administered.

It is postulated that contamination, perhaps from the cotton used to strain the liquid of the broth or from particulate plant matter getting through the straining method, could be cause for the cases of illnesses.

See also

• Long-term effects of cannabis