Although Annika – a cannabis patient from Germany – finds it difficult to talk about this event, she would like to share her story and thereby raise awareness and warn other patients. She is still stunned that this substance was sold to her as cannabis. The symptoms of this synthetic drug were massive and very frightening. It was only at home and through a self-test that she discovered the “false cannabis”. She worries that others will have similar experiences and that people might even die from them.
Hospital stay for several days
A few weeks ago, Annika's husband had to call for an ambulance. Suddenly she no longer had control over her body. Her muscles cramped from head to toe, so that she could almost no longer speak and could only communicate with her eyes. She had dystonia of the entire body, accompanied by tremor, sensory disturbances, and numbness in the limbs.
Doctors found no cause for the seizures, which occurred several times during her hospital stay. Since she is a cannabis patient, she of course continued to take her supposed medicine in the hospital without realizing that the “wrong cannabis” was the cause of all the evil. After each consumption, the symptoms continued to worsen and Annika got worse and worse. The cramps put pressure on the airways and it was almost impossible to eat due to severe difficulty swallowing. Due to the cramped muscles that lasted for a long time on the right side, she was hardly able to hold the cutlery and move something towards her mouth. The doctors didn't know what to do either. Several examinations yielded no results. No one suspected her cannabis flowers.
She was sent home helpless
After seven days, Annika was discharged without a diagnosis. The doctors suspected a psychosomatic reason, as they often do when they find nothing else. But it was clear to Annika and her husband that something had to be causing these symptoms. So they kept thinking and looking for the cause of the problem. At home, Annika only consumed the prescribed cannabis from the pharmacy for three days and suddenly felt better. This suddenly made it clear to her that the "Lemon Haze" she had acquired illegally from the supposed dealer she trusted, which she also used and had also taken in the hospital, must have something to do with her symptoms.
In a somewhat reckless self-experiment, as she puts it herself, she got her vaporizer and tentatively took 3 small puffs of the dangerous weed. The self-test confirmed her suspicions. Less than 20 minutes after consumption, Annika felt a strong, unpleasant tingling and pins and needles sensation on the left side of her body. And on the right, this familiar dystonia spread, in which her muscles cramped again. Not psychosomatic. Now that she knew what caused these symptoms, it was bearable.
Dealer knew nothing
Annika immediately confronted her dealer. He was totally perplexed and surprised himself. It had also been sold to him as THC cannabis flowers. Visually you couldn't tell any difference. He used it himself and also had strange experiences. Since consuming the alleged “Lemon Haze”, he had had psychotic symptoms that he could not explain. When Annika received a report from other consumers that dangerous stuff was circulating, everything was clear to her.
MEDCAN is very concerned
The situation on the black market has become significantly worse due to the Corona crisis. The supply has dried up. As always, demand in Switzerland is high. Behind closed doors there is talk of huge quantities of legally produced CBD flowers being sold abroad and now increasingly appearing manipulated on the European black market. Some Swiss producers don't seem to care how their flowers are later processed. Others may not know or prefer not to know. The development is very worrying and is very dangerous for all consumers. Such synthetic drugs have already claimed lives around the world.
Sick people are particularly at risk
It is now really dangerous for cannabis patients because of this “fake cannabis” on the black market, as Annika’s story shows. Those affected often consume larger quantities to relieve the pain. With these false flowers, it is impossible to estimate how the sprayed active ingredient is dosed and how it will affect the consumer. Especially not when consumed regularly or even daily. The constant procurement stress is just so stressful for everyone affected. Taking the risk of buying a synthetic drug instead of cannabis is a life-threatening imposition for sick people. Politicians must act quickly. However, the Federal Office of Public Health estimates that it will take another two years until the new medical cannabis law is implemented.
