Colorado deaths stoke worries about pot edibles

Legislature moving to prevent more tragedies

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

The deaths have raised concerns about Colorado’s recreational marijuana industry and the effects of the drug, especially since pot edibles can be 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, Bronstein said. Six were children who swal-

lowed 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.

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 trying 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. Before his death, he spoke erratically and threw things around his hotel room.

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 911. Police said his wife reported that her husband had consumed marijuana candy.

In the home, police found a receipt from Nutritional Elements, a marijuana store in Denver. On Friday, all of the marijuana edibles had been pulled from the shop’s cases. The store manager, who declined to give her name, would not say if the products were removed as part of the police investigation.