Marijuana and Allergies: What You Need to Know

It’s well-known now that allergies are on the increase: around 50 million Americans are allergic to at least one substance, such as pollen, foods, animal hair, medications, and metals. It’s much more common for an allergy to develop in childhood, but adults can become allergic to substances too. Recreational use of marijuana now legal in four states, and the plant legal for medicinal use in many more, but Did you know that marijuana is recognized as an allergy-inducing substance?

Latest Research on Marijuana Allergies

Early in 2015, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, published an article about this very subject, presenting some interesting facts about how marijuana allergies are affecting people who use the drug. Allergies develop as a result of the immune system’s sensitivity to substances that wouldn’t normally provoke an immune reaction. The immune system evolved to attack and destroy bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, but in some people, the immune system mistakenly reacts to harmless substances like pollen and food. Once you develop an allergy to a particular substance, each time you come into contact with that substance, your immune system reacts by sending immune cells and chemicals to the site of contact.

Symptoms of Allergies to Weed Smoke

In terms of marijuana as an allergy-inducing substance, people who are affected by this kind of allergy tend to have symptoms of what’s known as allergic rhinitis, or hay fever: runny or stuffy nose, itchy or sore eyes, and sneezing.  These are not the most severe potential health consequences, however: while there have so far been very few cases of dangerous allergic reactions to marijuana and cannabis, there are some recorded cases of a severe and potentially life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.  Other possible problems include conjunctivitis and asthma. These anaphylactic reactions occur after eating marijuana and related plants; for example, people have been known to develop anaphylaxis after eating hemp seeds. In another example, a patient developed a dangerous anaphylactic reaction after using marijuana intravenously.

The big problem is that weed is illegal—in most places in the world—and it’s hard to get good information weed and allergies when people are reluctant to report problems to their doctor. And people who develop serious allergies to the drug may be less likely to pinpoint marijuana as the source of their allergic reaction, which means they risk further sensitizing their immune system through repeated exposure. Therefore, it’s important that marijuana users understand the symptoms of allergic reactions, and to discontinue use of the substance if they become allergic.