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Colorado Deaths Stoke Worries About Pot Edibles

bobandtorey

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bobandtorey Advanced Member

bobandtorey

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DENVER (AP) — A college student eats more than the recommended dose of a marijuana-laced cookie and jumps to his death from a hotel balcony. A husband with no history of violence is accused of shooting his wife in the head, possibly after eating pot-infused candy.

The two recent deaths have stoked concerns about Colorado's recreational marijuana industry and the effects of the drug, especially since cookies, candy and other pot edibles can be exponentially more potent than a joint.

"We're seeing hallucinations, they become sick to their stomachs, they throw up, they become dizzy and very anxious," said Al Bronstein, medical director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center.

Studies are mixed about whether there is any link between marijuana and violence. Still, pot legalization opponents said the deaths are a sign of future dangers.

Twenty-six people have reported poisonings from marijuana edibles this year, when the center started tracking such exposures. Six were children who swallowed innocent-looking edibles, most of which were in plain sight.

Five of those kids were sent to emergency rooms, and two to hospitals for intensive care, Bronstein said. Children were nauseous and sleepy, and doctors worried about their respiratory systems shutting down.

Supporters of the pot law and some experts counter that alcohol causes far more problems among users, and the issues with pot can be largely addressed through better regulations.

The deaths occurred as Colorado lawmakers are scrambling to create safety regulations for the largely unmonitored marijuana snacks. On Thursday, the Legislature advanced a package of bills that would lower the amount of THC that could be permitted in a serving of food and require more extensive warning labels.

"It really is time for regulators, and the industry, to look at how do we move forward more responsibly with edible products," said Brian Vicente, who helped lead the state's legalization campaign.

An autopsy report listed marijuana intoxication as a significant contributing factor in the death of 19-year-old Levy Thamba Pongi.

Authorities said Pongi, who traveled from Wyoming to Denver with friends to try marijuana, ate six times more than the amount recommended by a seller. In the moments before his death, he spoke erratically and threw things around his hotel room.

Toxicologists later found that the cookie Pongi ate contained as much THC — marijuana's intoxicating chemical — as six high-quality joints.

Less is known about Richard Kirk, 47, who was charged in Denver with shooting his 44-year-old wife to death while she was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher. Police said his wife reported that her husband had consumed marijuana-laced candy, but no information has been released about potency.

The public defender's office has declined comment on the allegations against Kirk.

"Sadly, we're going to start to understand over time all of the damage and all of the problems associated with marijuana," said Thornton police Sgt. Jim Gerhardt, speaking in his capacity as a board member of the Colorado Drug Investigators Association. "It's going to dispel the myth that there's no downside, that there's no side effect, to this drug. It's sad that people are going to have to be convinced with the blood of Coloradans."

State lawmakers last year required edible pot to be sold in "serving sizes" of 10 milligrams of THC. Lawmakers also charged marijuana regulators with setting potency-testing guidelines to ensure consumers know how much pot they're eating. The guidelines are slated to be unveiled next month.

For now, the industry is trying to educate consumers about the strength of pot-infused foods and warning them to wait up to an hour to feel any effects before eating more. Still, complaints from visitors and first-time users have been rampant.

"One of the problems is people become very impatient," Bronstein said. "They eat a brownie or a chocolate chip cookie and they get no effect, so then they stack the doses, and all the sudden, they get an extreme effect that they weren't expecting."

Last year, the poison center run by Bronstein received 126 calls concerning adverse reactions to marijuana. So far this year — after pot sales became legal on Jan. 1 — the center has gotten 65 calls. Bronstein attributed the spike to the higher concentrations of THC in marijuana that has become available.

Although millions of Americans have used pot without becoming violent, Bronstein said such behavior is possible depending on the type of hallucinations a user experiences. Toxicologists say genetic makeup, health issues and other factors also can make a difference.

"With these products, everybody is inexperienced," Bronstein said. "It's the first time people have been able to buy it in a store. People need to be respectful of these products."

 

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Colorado-deaths-stoke-worries-about-pot-edibles-5413605.php

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bobandtorey Advanced Member

bobandtorey

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I feel like they are looking for reasons to blame the weed. If someone who don't drink alcohol goes and drinks a 5th to their self they will get the same results. Just because it's legal for everyone. The people just trying the cannabis for the first time needs to start slow.

Thanks for your input the nay sayers will do anything the control the Weed

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Norby Advanced Member

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What happened to personal responsibility?  Studies are mixed about violence and mj?  How many deaths were alcohol related in the same period?  How many articles were written on worries of alcohol related deaths and overdoses? 

 

You know there are people who die out there because they are allergic to peanuts.  Maybe we should think about their legality? 

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bobandtorey Advanced Member

bobandtorey

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Thanks

 

Why stop at just peanuts some use cleaning stuff to get high  i felt the same about banning K2 when young people started smoking it and diying i feel for the people's families but do we need more Laws and Bar's ? same as things like commit it says not to drink it i could name lots of things anyone could use to kill them self   

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mrd Advanced Member

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Although I am all for legalization I do feel that in the area of edibles there are a couple of serious problems that i have seen in the past. The first is that there are no standards. I have had medibles that were strong but good and others that were so over the top that I was miserable for 12 hours. some people make medibles from varying strains and in various concentrations. Also with this makes it possible to eat something BIG and have a relatively mild reaction or something small and have an over the top one. The strongest most unpleasent edible i ever had was one of those mini muffins. I now will not accept a medible from anyone. One could make an anlogy to drinking a reasonable drink at a bar versus drinking a half pint of bacardi 151. 

 

Also when we smoke or vap we can take a puff or two and shortly asses the effects upon us and decide if we want more. You cannot do this with most medibles , since the effects might take a while and also mount up, which can be a bit alarming if you do not expect it. 

 

I think medibles can be a good approach but unless you know and understand what you are ingesting the results can be distressing. 

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AmishRnot4ganja Advanced Member

AmishRnot4ganja

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Although I am all for legalization I do feel that in the area of edibles there are a couple of serious problems that i have seen in the past. The first is that there are no standards. I have had medibles that were strong but good and others that were so over the top that I was miserable for 12 hours. some people make medibles from varying strains and in various concentrations. Also with this makes it possible to eat something BIG and have a relatively mild reaction or something small and have an over the top one. The strongest most unpleasent edible i ever had was one of those mini muffins. I now will not accept a medible from anyone. One could make an anlogy to drinking a reasonable drink at a bar versus drinking a half pint of bacardi 151. 

 

Also when we smoke or vap we can take a puff or two and shortly asses the effects upon us and decide if we want more. With medibles , since the effects might take a while and also mount up which can be a bit alarming if you do not expect it. 

 

I think medibles can be a good approach but unless you know and understand what you are ingesting the results can be distressing. 

Right on. I had an unpleasant experience with decarboxylated edibles. I will never try those again. Regular ones are fine though. It's all about the dose. People who have no experience with edibles need to be smart about it. If the recommended dose is one, start with one-half. You can always take more, but you can never undo what you have already taken. Don't try to be a hero. You may regret it for a few hours.

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zachw Advanced Member

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How long have people been eating brownies?    As long as i remember.. Not until now  you have people shooting people and kids jumping out of windows,,,   BULL 

 

Many years (decades, sigh...) ago you dumped a bunch of 5% THC weed (probably the max, if you were lucky) in the brownie batter. The result was "self titrating" because they were almost inedible! Now you make high THC butter with delicious results. If it's your own stuff you can experiment with the dose, but usually folks buy a rice crispy treat/chocolate chip cookie/whatever and scarf it down. Only to find out an hour later that they ate too much.

 

This happened once with me when eating RSO. I knew rationally that I'd get through it, but my rational mind was not necessarily the one doing the talking. Quite unpleasant.

 

Inexperienced users can freakout with smoking, but it's a short-lived freakout. I certainly agree that there is potential for a much greater problem when eating a high dose of THC. 

 

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bobandtorey Advanced Member

bobandtorey

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People been making oil and eating it for  many many years, I just do not buy into this propaganda one bit, As for pot being better stronger now  that is bull crap too...   Thai Stick Colombian gold red    Afghan Hash ect  . would out do any strains we have now days,

I agree and i still have some seeds from them there days i did grow a few years ago not any loner and the last time i used the seeds from back then a they did  great at first i didn't think they would even pop after being 10-15 years old but they did and do

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bobandtorey Advanced Member

bobandtorey

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People been making oil and eating it for  many many years, I just do not buy into this propaganda one bit, As for pot being better stronger now  that is bull crap too...   Thai Stick Colombian gold red    Afghan Hash ect  . would out do any strains we have now days,

you made my mouth water :bong7bp: 

Edited by bobandtorey
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