Can You Be Allergic to Marijuana?

"For years, Washington, D.C. resident Josefa Ippolito-Shepherd, 79, fought to keep her duplex free from bothersome cannabis fumes. Her neighbor's medical marijuana use filled her home with smoke, leading to one of the first legal tests of marijuana as a public nuisance. In 2024, the D.C. Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that her neighbor must stop smoking medical marijuana inside because the odor and fumes constituted an unlawful invasion of her property. Was Ippolito-Shepherd allergic to marijuana?"

"This legal decision reflects growing social tension as marijuana legalization and use expand, but without cigarette-smoking and second-hand smoke prohibitions. Inhalation of first- or second-hand cannabis smoke irritates the upper and lower airways, leading to cough, pharyngitis, or bronchitis. Cannabis is a skin irritant, and direct skin contact can cause allergic contact dermatitis. Allergenic proteins in Cannabis sativa may trigger classic allergy symptoms. Inhalation of cannabis smoke, ingestion of cannabis-containing foods, or direct contact through home growing or occupational exposure may lead to allergic symptoms."

"Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica are among the most widely cultivated plants on earth. Over the last decade, scientific consensus has confirmed that cannabis allergy is real. Officially recognized allergens from cannabis include Can s 3, Can s 2, Can s 5, and Can s 4. They are all cross-reactive components, explaining how someone with a cannabis allergy may develop allergies to other plant foods, nuts/fruits, pollens, and latex (and vice versa)."

A Washington, D.C. resident successfully challenged a neighbor's indoor medical marijuana smoking after court found odor and fumes an unlawful invasion of property. Inhalation of first- or second-hand cannabis smoke can irritate upper and lower airways and cause cough, pharyngitis, or bronchitis. Cannabis acts as a skin irritant and can produce allergic contact dermatitis on direct contact. Allergenic proteins in Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica can trigger classic allergy symptoms. Recognized allergens include Can s 3, Can s 2, Can s 5, and Can s 4. Sensitization to Can s 3 often cross-reacts with hemp seed proteins and some tree-nut–like foods.

Read at Psychology Today