Hospital reports increased cases of psychotic episodes in people smoking hash oil

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- It’s a quick and powerful way to get high.

'Dabbing' -- not the hip-hop dance or the celebratory move by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton -- is also a term to describe the practice of smoking hash oil, a concentrated cannabis. And it is sending more and more people to the emergency room.

“We are getting one to two a day,” Dr. George Chappell said Thursday.

Two years ago, Providence St. Peter Hospital says they had zero cases. Doctors believe the legalization of marijuana has made it easier for people to dab.

“They are hearing voices, they are paranoid, they are frequently yelling out of control,” Chappell said.

Doctors say concentrated cannabis on average can be eight times stronger than smoking a joint.

The hallucinations can last for days.

Because of the hospital visits, one medical marijuana store is providing lessons starting this Sunday

“It’s filling up fast,” Rainer Xpress owner Patrick Seifert said.

The goal is to educate people on how to safely smoke hash oil.

Seifert said the biggest mistake people make is using too much.

“It's like comparing a beer drinker to a scotch drinker; nobody starts drinking with scotch,” Seifert said.

He added that the retail industry needs to do a better job of warning customers of the dangers.

“They should have informational cards that they hand out with their oil -- that would be huge,” Seifert said.

But  Chappell's message is more direct: He says dabbing is too dangerous.

“I would personally not be willing to risk a psychotic episode for a high,” Chappell said.