Cannabis et pratique de la plongée sous-marine. À propos de 2 accidents aux conséquences fatales

In recent years, great improvements in technology have allowed the emergence of new sports such as scuba diving. The business of scuba diving has demonstrated a regular increase the last years. The concept “diving is fun” has been established by Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the American world leader in diving education. Scuba diving is organized with standards, including depth limits, conditions of learning and practice and finally of equipment. Scuba diving simply means going through a session of underwater swimming and diving deep under the waters using what is known as a scuba set. This sport has different rules and laws, depending on the place it is done. All statistics around the world have demonstrated an increase in the number of certified divers. As a consequence, an increase of divers using cannabis was also observed. The use of cannabis is absolutely forbidden among divers, due to its psychoactive effects and potential fatal consequences. The authors report 2 fatal cases among certified divers where cannabis was detected during the toxicological investigations, with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentrations at 0.8 and 1.4 ng/mL, respectively. Although the scientific international literature seems limited for the topic “cannabis and scuba diving”, articles have pointed the prevalence of cannabis use among divers and the possible associated risks. These risks will be discussed in detail.