Throughout the history of cannabis consumption, countless people have shared stories warning about the power and sneaking ability of THC-infused edibles. But a newly published account of someone accidentally consuming a pot-laced treat may take the cake — or cookie — for most harrowing.
According to a new report published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine and first covered by Live Science, an elderly woman was recently administered to a hospital with what doctors initially believed to be a stroke. Eventually, however, it was discovered that the 64-year-old woman’s symptoms were due to an unknowingly-consumed edible.
To protect the woman’s secrecy, study authors kept her identity and location anonymous. But as it is described in the peer-reviewed journal, the woman left her assisted living center and checked in at a local hospital after suffering weakness in her arms and legs, as well as affected speech. When she arrived at the emergency room, medical staff on hand called a “code stroke,” alerting doctors that she may need an emergency dose of anti-blood clot medication.
Thankfully, though, the staff did not rush to any conclusions, and instead put the woman through a slew of tests before administering any heavy meds. And after an MRI, chest X-rays, a CT scan, and multiple blood samples, doctors could not find a clot, or any other sign of a stroke. But after hours of discussion, the stumped medical team discovered a different potential culprit for the patient’s uncomfort — a cannabis-infused cookie.
In a detailed breakdown of her day leading up to the stroke scare, the woman said that she had eaten a cookie at her retirement home that had been brought by a couple whom the woman’s husband described as having “questionable character.” At that point, doctors called for a toxicology screen and discovered unusually high levels of THC in the woman’s system.
After a few hours of stressful hospital time, the woman said that she was beginning to feel stronger, began to speak clearly, and was released back to her retirement home. It is unclear if she gave an earful to her dodgy building-mates for dosing her with an innocent-looking cookie, or if she enjoyed the latter part of her psychoactive experience outside the hospital.
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