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"He said this month new data indicate that the biggest increases in marijuana hospitalizations have been seen among out-of-staters, who might be naive about th

"He said this month new data indicate that the biggest increases in marijuana hospitalizations have been seen among out-of-staters, who might be naive about the drug’s effects." Colorado is a high-altitude state, and dehydration is a common problem. MJ is famously dehydrating ("cottonmouth"). Combine that with alcohol consumption and you've got a trifecta. People who live here are both acclimated to the altitude and typically familiar with the dehydration issue and tend to take precautions. Out-of-staters are likely not acclimated and not used to living in an arid environment. If you're coming to CO and you want to smoke, remember to hydrate. 2 liters a day, minimum. As an anecdote I have a friend who works in an ER. He contends that most of the cases he sees on the weekends are dehydration (not necessarily from MJ, just overall).

aidenn0 11y ago
Why does altitude dehydrate one so? I was just up in the mountains (~7k feet) this weekend and I was drinking water constantly but still felt dehydrated.
- xoa 11y ago
  Higher altitude means lower air pressure, simple as that. Remember, evaporative equilibrium is directly related to pressure. Additional factors involved in evaporation don't help either: though not perfectly universal, usually higher altitudes are also more arid as well, which further increases the rate of evaporation, as do higher wind speeds if you're outdoors. Combined though and at 1800-2000m above sea level for example you can easily see water loss from perspiration and exhalation double, which over the course of a day adds up to a significant amount of water even without any other activities. In general at low to medium-high altitudes dehydration is a much much more common issue then reduced oxygen, and some of the symptoms can be confused.
SpaceCadetJones 11y ago
A lesser known effect is that it can also lower your blood pressure. People do faint or suddenly loose balance from time to time

aidenn0 11y ago

Why does altitude dehydrate one so? I was just up in the mountains (~7k feet) this weekend and I was drinking water constantly but still felt dehydrated.

xoa 11y ago
Higher altitude means lower air pressure, simple as that. Remember, evaporative equilibrium is directly related to pressure. Additional factors involved in evaporation don't help either: though not perfectly universal, usually higher altitudes are also more arid as well, which further increases the rate of evaporation, as do higher wind speeds if you're outdoors. Combined though and at 1800-2000m above sea level for example you can easily see water loss from perspiration and exhalation double, which over the course of a day adds up to a significant amount of water even without any other activities. In general at low to medium-high altitudes dehydration is a much much more common issue then reduced oxygen, and some of the symptoms can be confused.

SpaceCadetJones 11y ago

A lesser known effect is that it can also lower your blood pressure. People do faint or suddenly loose balance from time to time