Injecting Cannabis Tea Intravenously Caused Life-Threatening Reactions in Four Teenagers

Four young people who injected a boiled cannabis-seed tea into their veins experienced immediate, severe, and potentially fatal reactions including shock, organ damage, and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Mims, R B et al.·Journal of the National Medical Association·1977·Preliminary EvidenceCase Report

Cardiovascular (214)Harm Reduction (776)

Quick Facts

Study Type

Case Report

Evidence

Preliminary Evidence

Sample

Not reported

What This Study Found

Four youths prepared a tea by boiling cannabis seeds, then injected the liquid directly into their veins. The consequences were immediate and severe.

All four developed nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, watery diarrhea, chills, and fever within moments of injection. They progressed to hypovolemic shock with dangerously low blood pressure and temporary kidney failure.

Additional complications included persistent low blood sugar, rapid heart rate, gastrointestinal bleeding, bleeding in the whites of the eyes, jaundice, enlarged spleen, muscle pain, joint pain, motor weakness, and EKG changes indicating cardiac ischemia.

All four survived, with symptoms reversing over the following weeks, but the researchers emphasized that these effects had been potentially fatal.

Key Numbers

Four patients. All experienced hypovolemic shock and transitory renal failure. EKG showed ischemic changes. Recovery occurred over weeks.

How They Did This

Case report of four youths who presented with acute adverse reactions after intravenous injection of aqueous cannabis-seed tea. Clinical findings were documented including vital signs, laboratory values, and EKG results.

Why This Research Matters

This case report documents an extremely dangerous route of cannabis administration that introduces plant material, particulates, and contaminants directly into the bloodstream. The severity of the reactions underscores that the route of administration fundamentally changes the risk profile of any substance.

The Bigger Picture

While intravenous injection of cannabis preparations is rare, this case report became an important reference in toxicology literature. It illustrates how bypassing the body's natural barriers (digestion, filtration) can turn a substance with a relatively wide safety margin into something acutely dangerous.

What This Study Doesn't Tell Us

Case report of only four individuals. The exact composition of the injected tea is unknown, and contaminants from the preparation process likely contributed to the reactions. No way to separate effects of THC from effects of injecting plant particulates and other seed compounds.

Questions This Raises

?How much of the reaction was due to cannabinoids versus particulate contamination and endotoxins?
?Has this route of administration been documented in other case reports?
?What specific components of cannabis seeds caused these reactions?

Trust & Context

Key Stat:: All four patients developed hypovolemic shock and temporary kidney failure
Evidence Grade:: A case report of four patients. Provides clinical documentation of a rare event but cannot establish broader patterns or mechanisms.
Study Age:: Published in 1977. Emergency medicine protocols and supportive care capabilities have improved substantially since this era.
Original Title:: Adverse effects of intravenous cannabis tea.
Published In:: Journal of the National Medical Association, 69(7), 491-5 (1977)
Authors:: Mims, R B, Lee, J H
Database ID:: RTHC-00015

Evidence Hierarchy

Meta-Analysis / Systematic Review

Randomized Controlled Trial

Cohort / Case-Control

Cross-Sectional / Observational

Case Report / Animal StudyOne case or non-human subjects

This study

Describes what happened to one person or a small group.

What do these levels mean? →

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the patients survive?

Yes. All four recovered over the following weeks, though the researchers noted the reactions had been potentially fatal.

Is this relevant to normal cannabis use?

No. This involved injecting a boiled plant preparation directly into veins, an extremely unusual and dangerous route that bypasses all of the body's natural filtration systems.

Cite This Study

RTHC-00015·https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-00015

APA

Mims, R B; Lee, J H. (1977). Adverse effects of intravenous cannabis tea.. Journal of the National Medical Association, 69(7), 491-5.

MLA

Mims, R B, et al. "Adverse effects of intravenous cannabis tea.." Journal of the National Medical Association, 1977.

RethinkTHC

RethinkTHC Research Database. "Adverse effects of intravenous cannabis tea." RTHC-00015. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/mims-1977-adverse-effects-of-intravenous

Access the Original Study

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Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.

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