Quite a few people get so ill from their first few experiences with marijuana that they phone the emergency number 112 and summon an ambulance. They get scared and sick to their stomach, and they think they will never get better. If that happens to you, you should find a quiet place and eat something sweet. Usually the worst is over within an hour. In 2001, ambulances were called 243 times for people who had taken too much hash or grass, including 130 tourists; 46 people, including 35 tourists, had eaten spacecake. One Amsterdam hospital kept a six-month record of how many people visited the casualty department after smoking cannabis or eating spacecake. There were 117 patients for hash or grass and 25 for spacecake.

They also kept track of the symptoms. Most patients were suffering from serious physical distress, and many experienced nausea, heart palpitations or psychosis. Nineteen people had suffered falls after taking hash or grass. Such falls occur because your blood pressure can drop if you suddenly stand up after using cannabis. That interferes with your coordination and motor functions.

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