Medical Can Being High Stop a Taser's Effect?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Megaton
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the effects of being under the influence of drugs, such as LSD or opioids, on the impact of electric shocks and Tasers. It clarifies that electrocution, defined as death by electric shock, involves much higher currents than those used by Tasers, which are designed for temporary paralysis without lasting harm. While certain medical conditions and some drugs may reduce sensitivity to Taser effects, recreational drugs generally do not mitigate the impact of electrocution. The conversation highlights concerns for law enforcement, as reduced Taser effectiveness due to drug influence can complicate arrest situations. Additionally, it suggests searching for literature on the relationship between opioids and electric shock for further understanding.
Megaton
Messages
9
Reaction score
1
This is a question I have is in Lei to an argument my friend and I were having.
In regards to be electrocuted or tasered; would the effect of being "high" let's say on LSD, PSPS or whatever nullify the effect of the given electrocution
Simply put can being high stop a tasers effect?
Thanks for any help.
 
Biology news on Phys.org
Megaton said:
This is a question I have is in Lei to an argument my friend and I were having.
In regards to be electrocuted or tasered; would the effect of being "high" let's say on LSD, PSPS or whatever nullify the effect of the given electrocution
Simply put can being high stop a tasers effect?
Thanks for any help.
Electrocution involves a much higher level of current than what Tasers use. Obviously Taser designers try to make the temporary paralysis effect work with no lasting permanent damage or death. There are medical conditions that can make the Taser use result in serious injury or death, but thankfully those are rare.

True electrocution cannot be blunted by any drug that I'm aware of. There are probably a few medical drugs that can lower the sensitivity of the heart's electrical pacemaker nodes and distribution nerves to outside electrocution, but just by a little, and AFAIK, recreational drugs would not fall into this category.

There are some medical conditions and some recreational drugs that can lower the sensitivity of a person to the effects of the limited Taser shocks, and those are very problematic for Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs). If the less-than-lethal Taser does not work well enough to let the officers safely take the individual into custody, then the escalation of force can result in bad things for the person who they are trying to detain or arrest.

What reading have you been doing on this question on your own? There should be many helpful articles on how some illnesses and some recreational drugs affect the effectiveness of Tasers...
 
  • Like
Likes BillTre
Megaton said:
In regards to be electrocuted or tasered; would the effect of being "high" let's say on LSD, PSPS or whatever nullify the effect of the given electrocution

Hi there Megaton
welcome to PF

for a starter, you misunderstand the meaning of the word "electrocution"
definition = electrocution is death by electric shock

what you are really referring to is an electric shock and if its effects are dulled by some form of intoxication

other than that, @berkeman has given you some very good considerations

Dave
 
berkeman said:
Electrocution involves a much higher level of current than what Tasers use. Obviously Taser designers try to make the temporary paralysis effect work with no lasting permanent damage or death. There are medical conditions that can make the Taser use result in serious injury or death, but thankfully those are rare.

True electrocution cannot be blunted by any drug that I'm aware of. There are probably a few medical drugs that can lower the sensitivity of the heart's electrical pacemaker nodes and distribution nerves to outside electrocution, but just by a little, and AFAIK, recreational drugs would not fall into this category.

There are some medical conditions and some recreational drugs that can lower the sensitivity of a person to the effects of the limited Taser shocks, and those are very problematic for Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs). If the less-than-lethal Taser does not work well enough to let the officers safely take the individual into custody, then the escalation of force can result in bad things for the person who they are trying to detain or arrest.

What reading have you been doing on this question on your own? There should be many helpful articles on how some illnesses and some recreational drugs affect the effectiveness of Tasers...
Thanks for your help. TBH I have been having difficulty finding a good simple article on this, thanks for your response.
 
There are analgesics, e.g. opioids that dull the sensation of pain stimulus to the body. Some recreational drugs do contain opiates. For articles, you may want to search (keywords): opioids & electric shock, to find some useful literature.
 
Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S. According to articles in the Los Angeles Times, "Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S.", and "Kissing bugs bring deadly disease to California". LA Times requires a subscription. Related article -...
I am reading Nicholas Wade's book A Troublesome Inheritance. Please let's not make this thread a critique about the merits or demerits of the book. This thread is my attempt to understanding the evidence that Natural Selection in the human genome was recent and regional. On Page 103 of A Troublesome Inheritance, Wade writes the following: "The regional nature of selection was first made evident in a genomewide scan undertaken by Jonathan Pritchard, a population geneticist at the...
Back
Top