Allergic to Cannabis?

Hay fever season is upon us, but did you know that your beloved buds could be part of the problem?

For some folks, the springtime is not a period of bright, sunny days filled with joy and freedom, but rather the beginning of a self-imposed isolation in order to escape the suppressive pollen and other irritants that are hallmarks of hay fever season. While up to twenty percent of Americans suffer from hay fever, few ever discuss a less commonly-known cause of typical allergy symptoms: weed!

Although it may sound strange, there are some people who are actually allergic to Cannabis. For most, this allergy stems from three common causes: a sensitivity to physical contact with the plant itself, an inability to inhale the drug in smoke or vapor form without negative consequences or allergies to marijuana pollen. A fourth, less commonly-known marijuana allergen is the various types of mold that often plague pot plantations.

'Typical' Side-Effects of Cannabis

Frequent weed smokers have already reported a series of side-effects that relate specifically to the smoking of the drug, ranging from mild to extreme. These usually include wheezing, increased mucous production or chronic coughing. Those who hold in the smoke for extended periods of time - which has been disproved as getting the user any 'higher' than a normal inhalation of a few seconds - may eventually be subjected to various diseases of the lungs and upper airways. Some chronic, heavy users have even reported instances of exercise-induced breathing problems.

Although research proves that Cannabis offers a semi-protective effect of the lungs and upper airways, and that some cannabinoids stave off the destruction of cancer cells, debate still ranges about the relationship between weed smoking and cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other chronic respiratory problems.

It is not uncommon for heavy weed users to report unsurprising side-effects, such as a-motivational syndrome, breathing problems or feelings of intense hunger (i.e., 'the munchies'). Less known or spoken about are the allergic implications of Cannabis, which may result in symptoms involving the skin or eyes or mimic respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis or hay fever - and may not even require direct inhalation or contact in order to present themselves.

Allergic Reactions to Marijuana

The scientific and medical communities have collected both empirical data and also anecdotal evidence from patients that, when combined, proves a causal relationship between pot use and allergies. However, not all reactions were related to close contact with marijuana, as some cases involved satellite exposure to weed or hemp pollen or allergic reactions to non-drug products, such as hemp seeds.

In layman's terms, common respiratory symptoms appear in the form of itchy, watery and/or red or swollen eyes, runny nose, wheezing, coughing, sneezing or nasal congestion, possibly combined with a mild case of hives or slightly itchy skin. Some of the more severe - yet widely unknown - symptoms include allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, asthma, food allergies, eczema, drug eruptions, contact urticaria and, most worryingly, anaphylaxis. While allergy symptoms and hypersensitivity are troublesome and can affect everyday life, anaphylaxis can easily lead to death, as the throat swells and airways are closed off - exactly what happens when those with severe peanut or shellfish allergies come into contact with their triggers.

Although severe allergic reactions can be treated with corticosteroids, antihistamines and epinephrine, some sufferers are still unaware that their wonderful weed may be the cause of their discomfort. This, combined with the fact that marijuana is only legal in a few states, means that people are not receiving the necessary treatment because they have not yet figured out that their pot consumption or exposure is the problem. Thus, self-diagnoses may be critical to those who live in areas of the United States where personal Cannabis use is often not discussed in public, or at all, due to fear of Drug War penalties.

However, with close to half of the country offering some form of legal medi-weed and the legalization of recreational weed sweeping across the country, our newly-minted freedoms may come at a price: an increase in Cannabis allergy sufferers. Common sense would dictate that this rise will not necessarily be a direct result of recreational legalization, as many folks already smoke, regardless of the laws in their area. However, the increased demand for legal pot cultivators - many of whom grow outdoors in certain parts of the country - as well as hemp farmers when and where the law permits, could potentially drive up future allergy statistics. Illicit black market grows, often involving hundreds or thousands of plants, affect local residents of some of the most picturesque natural environments in the United States by causing environmental issues such as pollution, which can compound existent marijuana allergies.

Dr. Purvi Parikh is an immunologist at the Allergy & Asthma Network, a nonprofit organization promoting allergy research and education. He told LiveScience that he agrees that pot prohibition is partly to blame for the late emergence of this issue, stating that, "Now, as the prevalence [of marijuana use] is increasing, and with the legalization in many states, it is going to become increasingly more common, and all these cases will surface that were not recognized before."

It is difficult to say with certainty that the issue of weed and hemp allergies is increasing, since prohibition has made it nearly impossible to collect a sizable baseline sample of sufferers from past decades. Recent allergy research cited figures from two Cannabis sensitization studies, one dating to 1940 and the other from 2000, highlighting the dearth of information on the subject. Thus, there are not many figures to which modern numbers may be compared, and not everyone in the States lives in an area with legal weed access, further skewing any accurate data collection. Therefore, many people are left to self-diagnose, yet not everyone is even aware that it is possible to be allergic to weed or hemp.

Many people would assume that airborne pot pollen particles are usually to blame for allergies, but inhaling the smoke or skin contact with the plant may also be the cause, in certain cases. The allergy sufferer does not even need to be the person smoking in order to be affected, as second-hand Cannabis smoke presents enough of an allergen or irritant to affect those with sensitivities. Even seeds can trigger histamine reactions of varying severity.

Even though reported instances are rare, contact allergies with pot or hemp plants also exist. The physical ramifications of such exposure typically include rashes, hives and/or eczema, although some patients have reported red, swollen, itchy eyes as an additional complaint after their skin is exposed to the plant, as well as mild respiratory issues. Smoke-sensitive patients often experience symptoms similar to those with direct contact allergies, with the added complication of more severe respiratory ailments.

In short, it is absolutely possible to be allergic to touching weed but capable of smoking it, or the other way around. Extreme caution should be exercised when experimenting with potential allergens.

Hemp Seeds as Cannabis Allergy Triggers

A comprehensive review of Cannabis allergies noted a bird breeder who developed chest tightness, a runny nose, (rhinorrhea) and dyspnea (shortness of breath, difficult or labored breathing) and began coughing and wheezing. Hemp seeds are the most desirable type of bird seed, so high-volume occupational exposure was nearly unavoidable for that particular patient. Another study mentioned a patient who suffered anaphylaxis after intravenous Cannabis exposure, while another man went into anaphylactic shock after eating a hemp seed-encrusted seafood dish at a restaurant specializing in hemp seed cuisine.

The latter subject experienced ocular pruritis (itchy eyes) after only a short time in the restaurant; cooking fumes from the kitchen were noted as a possible cause for this early reaction. However, after dining upon a meal comprised of hemp seed-crusted catfish, calamari and other foods that he had previously consumed with no problem, the patient developed hives (urticaria) on the scalp, armpits and groin and sought emergency medical treatment. He was then observed to have generalized hives, dyspnea, swelling of the deep facial tissues (angioedema) and dysphonia, an impairment in producing vocal sounds. No other diners at the restaurant became ill.

The patient's medical history indicated that he was a sufferer of seasonal allergic rhinitis and mild asthma, despite never having had a history of anaphylactic reactions. Although only an occasional Cannabis user at the time of the incident, the man admitted to having had a heavy marijuana smoking habit in past years, specifically noting that he had inhaled "many hundreds" of pot seeds in that time. [Ed. note: Cannabis seeds should never, ever be smoked. They contain no drugs at all and pose a health risk - the terrible smell should act as a warning!] In spite of this, it appeared that the consumption of the seeds did cause his allergic reaction, which was proven via a series of skin-prick tests.

Samples of the various meal components were administered via the skin prick, which appeared to indicate hemp seeds and calamari as possible causes of the anaphylaxis, with the former causing the most notable reaction. While the doctors declined to administer an oral hemp seed test, due to the recent anaphylactic episode, the patient did tolerate an oral challenge with the calamari, leading to the conclusion that the hemp seeds alone were responsible for the anaphylaxis. Serum tests confirmed that raw hulled and roasted un-hulled hemp seeds were indeed the cause.

Such results indicate that the patient in question would most likely also be allergic to hemp seed oil, although more study would need to be conducted to identify the seed components acting as allergens in this specific case.

The patient could not recall any previous hemp food consumption and, against medical advice, subsequently smoked Cannabis without any adverse effect.

Although one anecdotal case study certainly does not indicate a wide-spread issue, it should be noted that pharmaceutical companies will list side-effects in product packaging if even one solitary consumer has experienced them, to serve as a warning that such a reaction is possible.

Geographical Variance in Environmental Exposure to Pot Aeroallergens

Allergies are not usually specific to hemp or marijuana, as they are both Cannabis plants and therefore offer the same botanical features as each other. Hemp plants are merely Cannabis that tests at 0.1 percent THC or lower; these plants are used in the production of over thirty thousand types of industrial goods, such as paper, textiles, cordage, fuel, plastic and construction materials. Hemp cultivation remains mostly illegal in the United States, although some farmers and Native Americans have lobbied and managed to find ways to cultivate this non-drug crop. Canada produces much of the raw hemp material purchased by American manufacturers, so those living in border towns may be plagued by pollen from Canadian fields.

Hemp fields are usually vast and will affect pollen allergy sufferers more than outdoor weed crops, as hemp plants are not segregated by gender and the males are intentionally left there to pollinate the females.

Cannabis pollen is generally released by male plants during late springtime throughout the autumn, depending upon strain type and cultivation region. Male plants typically mature slightly faster than the females in order to promote the distribution of healthy, ripe pollen grains, which ensures a higher fertilization rate for the species. Hemp or weed fields in the central, northern regions of the country may reach the end of their flowering session between June and August, while crops in the northeastern part of the United States tend to finish flowering between September and October. In the more southern areas, flowering times may be extended and, as a result, pot and hemp pollen plagues these areas for a longer time span. Across the globe, hemp and marijuana are cultivated outdoors with relative ease, even in the cold, northerly regions that have extremely short growing seasons.

As the purpose of the female flower is to produce and protect seeds (offspring), those plants that become pollinated will grow and swell with ripening seeds, allowing the next generation of plants to thrive. This can happen naturally, as marijuana pollen grains are carried thousands of miles by the wind. However, some weed farmers intentionally fertilize their female plants with specially-selected male pollen in order to create new strains with a desirable melange of plant traits. This pollen may have been released into the atmosphere via various means, but the end result is that folks who live many miles away from hemp or weed crops may still be subjected to allergic reactions from these fields.

It is important to remember that, if you suspect a sensitivity to Cannabis pollen, you might want to avoid visiting grow rooms that are utilized in seed production, as the pollination process may take place at any point throughout the year. This represents just one benefit of indoor growing, as the space may be employed to recreate naturally-occurring phenomena such as light cycles, etc. The downside of indoor pollination is that the pollen grains tend to coat all surfaces of the space, including walls, ceiling, floor, lights, filters/ventilation, work surfaces, etc. Those who work in such areas and suffer from Cannabis pollen allergies should wear protective clothing and respiratory equipment to prevent exposure and shower immediately upon leaving work.

In fact, those employed as growers, trimmers, processors, lab testers, runners or dealers have noted some of the most severe allergic reactions to Cannabis exposure, although such cases typically involve skin contact or pollen allergies, rather than sensitivities to pot smoke. Even narcotics officers, forensic lab technicians and hemp factory workers have contributed anecdotal evidence of work-related exposure leading to allergic reactions.

A More Sinister Source of Allergens in Cannabis: Mold

These days, partly due to legalization efforts across America, more and more consumers are attempting to increase their self-awareness and personal quality control measures when it comes to Cannabis buying. This is evidence of advocacy progress across the country, as contaminants such as chemical nutrients and additives, harmful pesticides and various living organisms (e.g., yeast, fungi, bacteria) can often be found in pot crops.

It is essential that anyone with sensitivities to seasonal allergens, dust or mold be especially careful when working around Cannabis plants, either in a grow room or outdoor/greenhouse setting, as well as paying critical attention to the quality and condition of any weed or hash products purchased for consumption. Grow rooms and gardens are notorious breeding grounds for various pathogens, including mold and mildew; spores naturally become airborne and disperse in properly ventilated grow spaces - especially when good cultivation advice is followed and oscillating or stationary fans assist your extraction and ventilation system - thus, the spores easily latch onto clothing or hair when working with plants.

Improper storage also causes a great deal of contamination across the country. Since it is extremely dangerous to smoke or otherwise consume moldy pot, it is a good idea to be vigilant, even if allergies are not of personal concern.

While smoking some of these contaminants is merely disgusting, others pose a real danger to unsuspecting consumers, with mold representing a worst-case scenario in terms of collateral damage.

Treatment for Cannabis-Related Allergies

Anyone suspecting the presence of a marijuana allergy of any type should speak with a medical professional, preferably an allergist. Obviously, avoiding relevant triggers - pot smoke, the buds themselves, Cannabis pollen or moldy weed - is the first line of defense when combating marijuana allergies. If that is not possible, medical intervention must be considered.

Mild reactions of the skin are typically treated with corticosteroid creams or ointments, while complaints resembling hay fever symptoms can be addressed via either over-the-counter or prescription antihistamines, nasal decongestants and intranasal steroids.

Allergen-induced respiratory distress or asthma-like symptoms are usually combated with β-agonists or inhaled corticosteroids.

Severe reactions, especially for patients with a history of anaphylaxis, are generally relieved by epinephrine injections, administered via auto-injectors such as the EpiPen.