As with any drug that causes intoxication, getting behind the wheel or the sails is not recommended.

Soaking on a beach, walking the dog, jogging in the park (sans layers) and joining the sea of flailing arms at music festivals are just a few of the activities that make summertime fun. But what happens when you add some THC into the mix?

“Sunburns,” James Wigmore, a forensic toxicologist, told The GrowthOp. “You’re not aware of the situation and the sun.”

Wigmore says anyone using cannabis while being cooked by sun rays should be wearing sunblock and find shade. But lathering in lotion, hiding under trees and wearing all the oh-so-fashionable Tilley hats in the world won’t prevent the other big concern with getting baked in the summer sun.

“Dehydration,” Wigmore says. “You’re not consuming any liquids… there’s too much sun and too much heat.”

While a person could technically still be hydrated and high if drinking fluids (as long as you don’t forget to take a gulp of water), cannabis-infused beverages, like any other liquid, could also help parched pot smokers.

But Bernard Le Foll, PhD, a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, is skeptical about using cannabis-infused drinks to avoid dehydration. “Any fluid counteracts dehydration, but if you’re adding cannabis, we don’t know for sure what the effects will be,” Le Foll told The GrowthOp. “I would not reach out for a drink laced with cannabis.”

Dehydration can exaggerate marijuana’s effects on the cardiovascular system, like lower blood pressure, which could lead to fainting, he notes. As well, Le Foll says there aren’t many warning signs to watch for.

“It depends on the dose, it depends on if you’re used to cannabis. That’s why the precaution is if you want to experiment, start slow and start at a low dose and go from there,” he says.

And as with any drug that causes intoxication, getting behind the wheel or the sails is not recommended. “The number of collisions is approximately 30 percent greater during the summer months, even during bright sunny days, when the weather is perfect,” Dr. Donald Redelmeier, a senior scientist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, said in an interview.

“There’s this false sense of security that just because you’ve driven high without mishaps does not mean the next trip isn’t going to end in tragedy… the average drunk driver has to drive more than a million kilometres before they kill anyone.”

Some research in mice shows that cannabis has the potential to impact the body’s thermostat to cool down—but Le Foll says the research isn’t well-understood and Wigmore thinks nobody should get high to beat the heat.

“Don’t use cannabis instead of air conditioning,” he advises. “Keep hydrated and avoid the sun during hot hours.”

Although untested, Wigmore says he has noticed cannabis users in hotter countries had lower rates of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, a condition where marijuana use leads to repeated vomiting. “It’s purely conjecture on my part, but it is interesting,” he says.

• Email: bhristova@nationalpost.com | Twitter: bobbyhristova

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