Colorado Rethinks Recreational Marijuana Use Laws After Two People Die

Colorado voters legalized recreational marijuana use in the last major election, and laws went into effect on January 1st, 2014. Many users believe marijuana to be safe, in some cases safer than alcohol or cigarettes, but after two deaths related to marijuana use in Denver, the state is beginning to rethink its marijuana laws.

On March 11th, Wyoming college student Levy Thamba Pongi, 19, ate more of a marijuana cookie than was recommended by the seller, and jumped to his death out of his hotel. His autopsy report listed marijuana ingestion as a “significant contributing factor” in his death – it was believed that Pongi began to hallucinate which led to his suicide.

In a separate case from earlier in April, 47-year-old Denver resident Richard Kirk shot and killed his wife, 44-year-old Kristine Kirk, after ingesting marijuana-infused candy and possibly took a prescription pain medication. Kristine Kirk called 911 after her husband began hallucinating and demanded that she take his gun and shoot him. The arresting officer noted during an interview with Kirk after he killed his wife that the man appeared under the influence of drugs.

Eating marijuana-infused food is currently a more popular method of recreationally using the drug than smoking, but marijuana oil can be incredibly potent. A task force met on Wednesday, April 30th, to come up with strengths for doses in food, in order to prevent further deaths due to hallucination.

“Basically, we are trying to figure out how to come up with a reasonable THC concentration or amount in edibles in proportion to product safety size,” said Dr. George Sam Wang of Children’s Hospital Colorado, a pediatric emergency physician. He has treated children and toddlers who fell ill after eating marijuana.

“All of us want to make sure people are safe,” said Meg Collins, executive director of the Denver-based Cannabis Business Alliance and a member of the task force. “The industry is stepping up and is looking at the best ways to educate and communicate to its customers safe ways to recreate with marijuana.”

In Washington State, which has also passed recreational use of marijuana, retail sales begin in July of this year and one serving is limited to 10 mg of marijuana, with 10 servings per package of marijuana-infused food. The serving size is based on the amount of marijuana contained in one joint.

“What’s the best way to approach this? I think we have to figure out whether that’s the right dose and what is the most scientific way to decide what’s in a dose,” Wang said.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Marijuana Drug Charges

The marijuana trafficking and possession lawyers at the Strom Law Firm, LLC are dedicated to protecting the rights of our clients, providing aggressive representation grounded in our years of experience building and interpreting the laws of South Carolina. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case. 803.252.4800