WASHINGTON — Here’s another one for the marijuana-legalization critics: Pot can be a real buzz kill — at least for people with allergies.
A recent medical study published in the March issue of Annals of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology says that cannabis is indeed an allergen, and people can have mild to extreme reactions to it, ranging from itchy, watery eyes to deadly anaphylactic shock.
It’s a weed, after all, and scientists say marijuana allergies will naturally become more prevalent as pot laws relax and more people grow and use it out in the open.
“Currently we would treat it like any other allergy,” says Dr. Purvi Parikh, an adult and pediatric allergist and immunologist with the Allergy & Asthma Network. “Much like pollen and ragweed or grass … marijuana is a very allergic plant.”
The study, conducted by Dr. Thad Ocampo and Dr. Tonya Rans at the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center at Lackland Air Force Base, in Texas, concludes that allergies associated with weed are being reported “with increased frequency,” mostly because medical and recreational use are on the rise.
The doctors studied 140 patients, including participants with predisposition to allergies and marijuana users with asthma symptoms. Over 50 percent had a cannabis reaction to the standard skin prick allergy test; 34 percent had a positive reaction to the blood serum test. Prevalence was highest among the pot users.
These findings agree with other studies, leading the doctors to conclude that “as expected with most plant aeroallergens, cannabis pollen inhalation has been noted to cause symptoms of allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and asthma.” Furthermore, exposure to the smoke can cause nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing, wheezing and dyspnea, according to the study.
Touching the plant can cause eczema; ingesting it can lead to the same scary reaction a person with a severe peanut allergy might experience after eating peanuts. The study included a report of a man who required an EpiPen (epinephrine) during an anaphylactic attack after eating hemp seed-encrusted fish.
“It’s the plant itself, but also the pollen the plant gives off, and the vapor. There are multiple ways you can be exposed to the allergen,” says Parikh, who says more research is necessary to find a cannabis-specific treatment to the allergy. Right now, the allergy is treated with the same over-the-counter and prescription medications one would get for hay fever or asthma.
The Ocombo-Rans study was released just as a bill was being readied in the U.S. Senate to federally legalize medical marijuana, which advocates believe can serve as an alternative treatment for a number of illnesses and conditions, including cancer, HIV-AIDS, seizures, nausea, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma.
Currently, 23 states allow medical marijuana, but a federal prohibition remains in place for both recreational and medical use. Meanwhile, a number of states have not only opened pathways to medical use but moved toward decriminalization of marijuana or legalizing it completely.
Colorado and Washington have been pot-legal for two years, and Oregon and the District of Columbia passed referendums ending bans in 2014.
The District, however, is fighting with congressional critics over whether it can follow through with its plans to make smoking, growing and distribution legal.
Opponents to legalization often use pot’s dangers to public health as a driving argument against use. Pointing to its allergy implications could be another plank in the opposition’s case.
“I’m sure it will be part of the debate about the health risks,” Parikh says. “Any health concerns are going to be brought to the forefront and should be.”
However, she adds, that argument could quickly be dismissed: “Because you can be allergic to anything.”
Mason Tvert, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, an advocacy group for legalization, agrees.
“Just as some people can have allergic reactions to peanuts, fruits or chocolate, some people may have allergic reactions to marijuana. And like with those other substances, it can vary in terms of severity,” he says.
“But, like with other foods and products, everyone should be aware of the potential for an allergy. Simply telling everyone that marijuana is incredibly dangerous and must be illegal for everyone is not a very good approach, just as it wouldn’t be with peanuts.”
