Allergies are tough, especially when considering literally anything around you has the potential to be an allergen. Allergens are any substance that causes an allergic reaction — which is when the immune system reacts crazily to a foreign substance in your body. That’s why you might get a rash, or runny nose, or even a swollen throat when experiencing a severe allergic reaction.
Unfortunately, for some people, Cannabis can be an allergen, usually resulting in pollen-feveresque reactions.
There’s not a lot of concrete data on how many people are affected by weed allergies, but (and this is completely unscientific) the only person I’ve ever seen truly affected by the smoke already had a whole host of allergies — and even then, it only made their eyes puff up a bit.
Some common allergic reaction symptoms (from mild to severe) include:
–Runny nose
-Itchy throat and eyes
-Puffy skin around eyes and mouth
-Hives and rash
-Anaphylactic shock
For most allergy symptoms, popping a Benadryl and waiting a couple hours should tell you whether you had an immune reaction or not. But if you find your throat or tongue is swelling, that could be a sign of a serious allergic reaction, and you should get to a doctor ASAP.
So, how do you know if you really are allergic to weed, or freaking out cause, you know, you just smoked a bunch of weed?
The only true test is a skin prick test, which is performed by your doctor. A skin prick test is when they take needles with a liiiittle bit of the substance in question on the end, and poke a small patch of your skin. If you’re allergic, a reaction should occur within the next couple hours.
The big takeaway is….you’re probably more paranoid than you are allergic. But there’s never harm in checking, and if you think a weed allergy is in your cards, try to find a doctor who can administer an allergy test. That way you can enjoy your bud free of paranoia — or learn once and for all that Cannabis and your body don’t mix.
