Reefer Madness? Thai Man Chops Off His Penis After Smoking Weed

The man attempted to “trim the penile skin several times” while experiencing an erection and severe pain in his penis about two hours after smoking cannabis.

A 23-year old man in Thailand ended up severing his own penis after suffering an apparent episode of cannabis-induced psychosis.

The victim, whose case was recently laid bare in the Journal of Medical Case Reports by doctors from the Chiang Mai University, had apparently been a regular cannabis user for two years before dropping the habit for three months before the mutilation incident when he smoked “two bongs (2 g equivalence) of cannabis.”

About two hours after smoking the substance, the man experienced an erection and severe pain in the penis, “and reported that his glans looked distorted.”

Seeking to get rid of the pain, the man proceeded to “trim the penile skin several times” and “completely amputated his penis” with scissors.

As the resulting bleeding did not abate after two hours, the man was admitted to a hospital for treatment, and while doctors treated him, they deemed what was left of his penis (a stump about 2cm long) as “too dirty and fragile for reconstruction.”

“Cannabis-induced psychosis was diagnosed because symptoms began after cannabis use, without evidence of other substance abuse,” the doctors stated, noting that cannabis exposure was confirmed via urine immunoassay.

They did note, however, that they cannot conclude that the sharp pain experienced by the patient prior to his self-mutilation “was because of priapism or an unusual/unexpected subjective sensation from cannabis exposure.”

“In summary, cannabis-induced psychosis is an adverse effect of cannabis, which may lead to impaired judgement and unexpected self-harm,” they noted.