4 steps to helping a friend who's greened out

Sometimes when people smoke or eat too much weed too quickly, they can become very pale and feel nauseous, dizzy, sweaty and possibly vomit.

Greening out is often a really horrible experience for the person going through it, and can be quite scary for friends or family who are trying to help that person. If you find yourself in a situation where one of your friends or a family member is greening out , the following four steps will guide you to help them through it.

Location

If you’re in a noisy or busy location, take your friend to a quiet and safe spot, and sit them down so they are as comfortable and as relaxed as possible.

Hydration

If your friend is feeling a little green but isn’t vomiting, give them some water to help them hydrate, or something sweet, such as juice or fruit, to help increase their blood sugar levels.

Recovery position

If the situation is a bit more serious and your friend starts vomiting, lie them on their side, in the recovery position, so they are as comfortable as possible, but won’t choke on their vomit.

Support

If your friend is experiencing the mental effects of greening out , they will likely be paranoid, anxious and possibly afraid or panicked. In this case, they really need your support more than anything else. Once in a quiet spot, stay with them and reassure them that you re there to help, won’t leave them and try to distract them with other topics of conversation.

If you feel out of your depth and you’re really worried about your friend s well-being, call 000 or seek medical assistance and the ambulance team will be able to provide the support your friend needs without necessarily getting them into legal trouble. Generally, police are only called when someone is aggressive or violent.

One important thing to remember is that there are no guarantees your friend won’t green out again the only way to avoid it is to stay off weed.

If you’d like some more info on how cannabis can affect you, check out our YouTube channel. If you think you or a friend might have a problem with cannabis and need help, check out our website or call the helpline on 1800 30 40 50. You can also get some more in-depth answers to all your cannabis questions on our factsheets page.

*Please note that the terms marijuana , cannabis , weed and pot are used interchangeably in these fast facts, and all refer to the illegal drug, cannabis, unless otherwise specified.

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