Pubdate: Sat, 19 Apr 2014
Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
Copyright: 2014 the Associated Press
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Author: Sadie Gurman, the Associated Press

FATAL PLUNGE, SHOOTING RAISE COLORADO EDIBLE-'POT' DOUBTS

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 marijuana-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 marijuana 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, marijuana 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 youngsters were sent to emergency rooms, Bronstein 
said. Children were nauseated and sleepy, and doctors worried about 
their respiratory systems shutting down.

Supporters of the marijuana law and some experts counter that alcohol 
causes far more problems among users, and the issues with marijuana 
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 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 to 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 marijuana 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 marijuana they're eating. The 
guidelines are to be unveiled next month.

For now, the industry is trying to educate consumers about the 
strength of marijuana-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 
marijuana sales became legal 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 marijuana 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."

Federal authorities don't regulate the edibles because marijuana 
remains illegal under federal law.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom