Abstract
The prevalence of marijuana smoking among adults in the United States has remained stable, at approx 4%, for the last decade (1). Even that low rate (four times as many Americans smoke cigarettes) still translates into more than 6 million active users. In 2002, an estimated 19.5 million Americans aged 12 years or older admitted to having used illicit drugs during the month before the survey interview, and that number translates into 8.3% of the population over the age of 12 (Fig. 1). Of these individuals, 75% reported using marijuana, and 72 million individuals report having smoked marijuana at least once in their life (2). Given the surprisingly large number of users, it is quite surprising to see how little has been written about marijuana toxicity. Reports of acute life-threatening illness, or at least reports emanating from the offices of medical examiners, are extraordinarily rare.
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Karch, S.B. (2007). Postmortem Considerations. In: ElSohly, M.A. (eds) Marijuana and the Cannabinoids. Forensic Science And Medicine. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-947-9_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-947-9_13
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