Physiological Context During Arrest and Custody: A Personal Recollection of Cannabinoid Exposure and Acute Stress

Abstract

Abstract: This paper presents an autoethnographic account of the physiological conditions surrounding the author’s arrest and custodial transport. Over the preceding year, long-term, high-frequency use of cannabidiol (CBD) via inhalation and oral ingestion had progressively stabilized autonomic and inflammatory systems prior to the acute event. Enforced deprivation of cannabinoids during a prolonged period of psychological siege produced a measurable escalation in physiological stress. During subsequent transport, the author experienced what she believes were two separate instances of airborne opioid exposure, likely fentanyl. Although consciousness was temporarily lost, respiratory arrest did not occur. This outcome is interpreted in part as a consequence of residual physiological stabilization arising from prior CBD saturation. This paper does not advance the claim that CBD functions as an opioid antidote. Rather, it argues that chronic cannabinoid exposure shaped the author’s neuroendocrine and inflammatory stress-response profile in ways that may have narrowed the margin between physiological stability and medical failure. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature in cannabinoid pharmacology, trauma physiology, and autonomic neuroscience, the paper contextualizes this lived experience within established mechanisms. It further reframes a sustained pattern of cannabinoid use as physiological stabilization rather than recreational impairment. The policy and clinical implications of this distinction are discussed alongside recommendations for future empirical research.

Keywords: cannabidiol, endocannabinoid system, physiological resilience, trauma physiology, HPA axis, custodial health, autoethnography, opioid toxicity