Pubdate: Sat, 19 Apr 2014
Source: Daily Freeman (Kingston, NY)
Page: A6
Copyright: 2014 Daily Freeman
Contact:  http://www.dailyfreeman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3269
Author: Sadie Gurman, The Associated Press

COLORADO DEATHS STOKE WORRIES ABOUT POT EDIBLES

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 f rom Wyoming t o 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."
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D