Marijuana intoxication was listed in the autopsy as a chief contributing factor in Pongi’s death, The Denver Post reported.
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The store worker advised eating only about one-sixth of the pot cookie, which was the recommended 10 mg serving of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana, Palm Beach Post has learned.
In February 1, Colorado implemented new packaging and label rules for pot edibles mandating products to have individual labels and to contain no more than 10 mg of THC.
At first, the 19-year-old followed these instructions, and ate just part of the cookie. Approximately 30-60 minutes later, not feeling any effects, he consumed the remainder of the cookie. Thamba reportedly became agitated and leaped from a fourth-story hotel balcony.
Levy Thamba Pongi, a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was studying to be an engineer at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming.
Death by eating marijuana cookie is indeed surprising and tragic. [Where Americans Smoke and Grow Marijuana (Maps)]. Colorado position legislation allows 21 year-old and also over people to obtain cannabis regarding jail time and potential fines that comes in numerous of treats like cakes, candies and treats.
Because edible marijuana is readily available in Colorado, authorities have been monitoring its effects through hospitalization data, visits to the emergency departments and poison center calls.
“Because of the delayed effects of THC-infused edibles, multiple servings might be consumed in close succession before experiencing the “high” from the initial serving, as reportedly occurred in this case”, the CDC report says. Absorption of edible marijuana is slower, as in orally administered drugs that are partially metabolized before being distributed to the system.
High doses of THC “can produce serious anxiety attacks and psychoticlike symptoms”, Robert MacCoun, a professor at Stanford Law School, told Live Science in an interview earlier this year.
A file photo of an assortment of edible marijuana sweets.
The CDC says all states where recreational marijuana is legal – now Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington state and the District of Columbia – should have clear guidelines and labels for marijuana edibles.
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The CDC, along with a Colorado health official and Denver’s medical examiner’s office, said the death suggests the need for “improved health messaging” to prevent marijuana overconsumption.
