not everyone can tolerate pot in food or smoked....A person should be aware of the contents of what they are eating. these people were not thinking right.

They abound everywhere.

Many morons are college students, which is a weird thing, I think.

People who are drugged without their knowledge or consent can get really freaked out. Nothing more than anxiety and fear could occur with pot brownies, but it is incredibly stupid and insensitive. However, this has nothing to do with the new laws. These idiots were idiots before the new laws. This is no different than spiking the punch.

Events like this undermine the case for legalization, and the
new laws are still fragile.

Nothing changes the fact that people will be stupid and their are law to punish such stupidity. We need to combat this ridiculous frame

I hope they throw the book at them. We have enough of a struggle just trying to get MMJ legal in the rest of the country, and these irresponsible assholes pull a stunt like this?

Took years to get the populace used to something and these pricks try to set the whole system back...GGGRRRR!

Both are reprehensible, but I don't see why legalization is relevant or why it should be the fall guy. People have done this before pot was legal, too.

If prohibition was ended in 2 states (as opposed to federally) in the 30s, and someone "spiked the punch" that sent 8 people to the hospital, we would be sneaking across the border to Canada for a beer today.

There was no actual danger. I agree it was stupid. I think they should be charged. But, this discussion on the role legalization plays is ridiculous.

This will have no bearing on the future of legalization, nor should it.

8 people affected, not 8 people to the hospital.

Point remains though - we have a tough road to hoe in a lot of states and shit like this just sets everything back. MJ is classified a schedule 1 like heroin. Going from that to completely legal is happening very slowly (I have been a member of NORML since the 1970s) and these bumps in the road to change "minds and hearts" do not help.

My point is, we can't change stupid. But, we can try to promote the proper framing. First off, this is not an abuse of the new laws. This was a felony already on the books, because people have been doing this type of thing before. We have laws to deal with it. I am sure we could dig up similar stories from states where pot is completely illegal.

Second, the two are being properly charged. Again, unrelated to legalization.

The professor said she felt dizzy. What if she happened to be in a car when she began to feel dizzy? What if the student who thought she was going to blackout had been driving?

What if a student with a preexisting anxiety disorder ate the brownies?

If there are enough incidents like this, or like the shootings that have already occurred in my state, the same voters that voted for marijuana could decide to repeal the law. Or the legislature could do it two years from now.

And, your "what ifs" are irrelevant. No one passed out, no one was at risk of passing out. If anyone had been driving when they felt dizzy, I would hope they would pull over, just like they would anytime they felt dizzy.

You are the only one I have found anywhere promoting the frame that this is in anyway related to legalization. It is not.

What if the professor or any of the students were taking prescription medication for which the use of THC was contraindicated? There are thyroid and blood pressure medicines that are taken to slow down the heart rate.

It was stupid and wrong, but you are exaggerating.

And that she could have been driving.

I'll post it again, since you missed it the first time:


http://www.wafb.com/story/20301554/university-students-accused-of-feeding-pot-brownies-to-class-professor

Susan Kent, the chair of CU's history department, said the professor who was drugged repeatedly blacked out during class.

"One can only imagine had she been in the car, had she been with her children in the car, when the drugs started to take effect what could have been the outcome of this," Kent said. "It's just a terrible, irresponsible and reckless act."




If you know anything about marijuana, then you understand that reactions don't happen on a strict time table, that they are highly individual, and this professor could have had a reaction AFTER she left her class, when she was in a vehicle. Just as the head of the department said.

lets hope no more idiots stoop to this level...

they could get in a car wreck driving home for example.

anyone because an unsuspecting person will not function well. If you smoke to much then you become slow and dumb. Eat to much and the world starts spinning and nothing makes sense.

whose medical condition you don't know beans about. That person may have epilepsy, diagnosed depression (marijuana is a depressant), recovering from cancer, lupus, or any other medical conditions. Even spiking of punch can kill someone, under the right conditions.

Break up amphetamines and put 'em in punch or brownies? That could kill someone with a heart condition. Not much different that putting a depressant drug like marijuana or alcohol in a substance.

It's a physical assault to give someone a drug w/o his/her consent. You do not own someone else's body.

in fact, it is used by some to combat depression.

same as alcohol, although you wouldn't think so because of all the drunks with lampshades on their heads. But that's how they are classified.

A depressant, or central depressant, is a drug or endogenous compound that lowers or depresses arousal levels and reduces excitability.[1] Depressants are also occasionally referred to as "downers" as they lower the level of arousal when taken. Stimulants or "uppers" increase mental and/or physical function are the functional opposites of depressants.

Depressants are widely used throughout the world as prescription medicines and as illicit substances. When these are used, effects often include anxiolysis, pain relief, sedation or somnolence, and cognitive/memory impairment, as well as in some instances euphoria, dissociation, muscle relaxation, lowered blood pressure or heart rate, respiratory depression, and anticonvulsant effects, and even complete anesthesia or death at high doses.

Depressants exert their effects through a number of different pharmacological mechanisms, the most prominent of which include facilitation of GABA or opioid activity, and inhibition of glutamatergic or catecholaminergic activity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depressant

The article goes on to list some types of depressants, including alcohol and cannabis.

marijuana is a hallucinogen.

unfamiliar with does pose a danger.

Regardless of whether there was a danger or not what is EVEN WORSE is that is putting something in my body without my consent (no, I am not implying it is the same as rape at all) is wrong. It would be similar to someone asking for a low calorie item and feeding them an extra high calorie item - no actual danger but wrong as hell. Some people have done stuff like that to their spouse because they like a chubbier body for example.

which would be pretty terrifying.

They're gonna do their best to scare the grannies with this kind of story, and if the grannies in question have no clue about the effects of pot, the scare will work, pushing that many more votes into the anti-legalization camp.

This was mind-numbingly stupid.

But many states are watching Colorado and Washington now, to see how the new laws work. If it appears that they're causing all kinds of problems, other states are less likely to follow suit. And these states could decide to repeal their own laws.

You explained it much better than I did.

This was not an abuse of the new law. It was a felony before Nov. 6 and still is. Why try to promote that framing?

This type of felony has been going on since before legalization. Legalization is not to blame. These idiots are. They are now being charged with felonies, not an abuse of the "new laws."

We are trying to say that it THREATENS legalization efforts elsewhere.

Legalization didn't cause this. (Although I bet this stupid kid did it as a form of celebrating the new law.) But it would be threatened if too many incidents like this (or worse) start to occur.

It is not possible to "knock down this frame every time it is presented".

I have even seen it presented.

Don't be so confident when moralists are involved. They are surprisingly effective.

Alcohol was extremely common and extremely popular before the 18th amendment. And they still got it banned.

Pot is not common and not popular among the general population. It's legal status is changing, but incidents like this will be used as evidence of the demonic nature of pot among those who wish to keep the ban. Just like it was used to originally ban pot.

How's that working out now? Why, pot is still banned to protect us from reefer madness. (Feds trump states).

You can keep your head in the sand, or you could learn from history. I recommend the latter so you aren't doomed to repeat it.

We don't need that, thank you.

And it would be easy enough for Tim Eyman to put forth yet another of his referendums seeking to overturn this in two years, if there are too many stories like this one.

We need to own the frame that these were crimes wholly unrelated to the new law. Because, they were.

But you can take away their dangerous toys. Which us what will happen. Just like fireworks are illegal most places. And guns in many countries (and but for the second ammendment likely would be here). That's how people and society reacts, Just as you can't stop idiots from being idiots, you cant stop negative backlash either. No matter how awesome your oh so smart framing.

This same crime has been repeated in many states without legalization.

legalization.

Your stance seems to be the path to legalization is to pursue rationality. Yes it is irrational to criminalize marijuana because of these idiots actions. But it has always been irrational to criminalize it. The recent legalization has not occurred by reasoning with authorities, it has been through popular vote (which can be notoriously irrational). As long as that is the only apparent path to complete legalization, these type anecdotes can be used effectively to influence popular opinion against it. You can win the argument and still lose the war.

If they didn't have a gun, they couldn't have used it illegally.

As you say.

glaring obvious that there's alcohol in it. You can smell it, first off, and you can immediately taste it. I do agree, that if the punch is spiked, the drinkers should be aware of that ahead of time.

I've never had marijuana brownies, although I bake brownies (from scratch) myself. I would think that the marijuana would significantly alter the appearance and texture in a way that would be noticeable.

a regular one just by looking or tasting.

I bake and eat them all the time. i make sure to keep them individually wrapped in the freezer and labeled so nobody can find them and be caught unaware.

Usually. I don't see a difference between the two at all, except spiking the punch is probably worse, due to medical conditions.

That's messed up.

This was a horrible thing to do. I blame only the idiots who drugged people. They are charged with felonies, as they should be.

You are trying too hard. I said you can usually smell and taste the pot in the brownies. I said nothing about what they should have known, nor did I blame anyone other than the morons who drugged their professor and classmates.

Re-read the discussion, or don't. I never blamed the victim. Reading comprehension is not your strong suit. You can play your game with someone else.

Spiking the punch would not have been appropriate in this setting either. I'm not sure that they should face felony charges for this, though.

people making edibles now typically use more efficient extract methods than the old boil it with butter method, which leaves a green chlorophyll taste in the butter. now the preferred method is to extract the THC using butane or CO2, making hash which is a much purer product that does not have a telltale taste, that is then mixed with the food.

the high you get from eating pot is, in my experience, far more intense, and it doesn't hit you right away like it does if you smoked.

the truth. Eating the stuff can be quite wicked. Those idiots probably really loaded those brownies up too.

eight people from the same class ended up going to the hospital over the next few hours, and their blood got analyzed.

I also wonder why pnwmom keeps repeating that 8 went to hospital? The article is quite clear in that regard.

But three hospitalizations out of nine means one third of them went to the hospital, which is an unacceptably high ratio in my book.

Each probably had thousands of dollars in emergency room bills.

"Only."


"shrug:

(And all but 1 say they were sickened by them.)

When people persist in padding and expanding on the facts, this indicates agenda of the furtive sort. It most certainly is not honest and several posters have corrected you.

However, that means fully a third of those who ate the brownies were hospitalized -- which is a terrible result.

OTOH, maybe they were rich conservative assholes.

In any event, now they'll forever disallow unpackaged food.

As has happened elsewhere after such pranks.

sounds ginned up to me

would treat this particular set of events in reality. Of the two students involved one is under age for possession under the new law. That means she broke the new law by having any marijuana at all. In addition her partner in crime committed the big crime, providing a controlled substance to a person under age, in addition to the 'it's always been a felony' act of feeding people spiked foods.
So under the new law, prosecution of this particular event would be provided with extra legal sauce, not less.
So ginning this up as if it had to do with the new law (you keep insisting that it was a celebration of it, but that is not in the article, you are ginning that up) is just daft. The marijuana used was not purchased legally, nor used legally. Not under the old laws, not under the new. Pretending that your assumptions are facts, or the repeated 'shootings in my area' claim without link or fact all counts as hyping or ginnng up the story beyond what it actually is.
You keep sayinig 8 went to hospital, you keep saying this was a celebration of the new law, you keep suggesting the new law makes this sort of thing more legal, when in fact it makes this more illegal, more specifically prosecutable.

made this sort of thing more legal."

I said that if there is a surge in this kind of stupid activity, then the new laws will be endangered.

as does cigarette smoke. If someone put pot in chocolate brownies I'd probably have one (being a chocolate lover) and probably get a severe headache and nausea with no idea why. So I wouldn't think it was too funny.

Don't blow your smoke in my face, don't spike my drinks/food with foreign substances. I guess the young men behind this prank never were told no when they were young.

There are now 8 more people who would likely vote to repeal legalization.

Good try, though. And, even if so, it won't happen.

the existing cannabis delivery mechanism and the emerging legal delivery mechanism?

Who would benefit the most from making a public display of those "evil pot heads" and how "ir-responsible" they are?

You Are POISONING THEM.

I don't care if it's pot, LSD, date rape drugs, Tabasco, cayenne, salt, or hemlock.

It does not matter if YOU think it's harmless or not.

You are essentially POISONING THEM.

NOT ACCEPTABLE.

AND... in this instance.

You destroy the credibility of the movement you are trying to nurture to fruition.

employment.

Really stupid, just glad it wasn't legal when I was their age because that would have been the type of thing I might have done.

"I don't care if it's pot, LSD, date rape drugs, Tabasco, cayenne, salt, or hemlock."

As a type 1 diabetic this totally creeps me out. Anything in my system that makes me not totally aware is a huge risk. If I am not paying attention, my blood sugars could get dangerously low or high and also I could mistakenly inject myself with too much insulin. It is pretty much why I hardly ever drink or smoke pot or do any kind of drug. I only drink around my family or friends that know I am a diabetic as alcohol lowers your blood sugar. These idiots had no idea if anyone in their class had underlying issues like this. And I am for legalizing marijuana. I just don't think it is cool to play with people's health without them knowing.

Smoke it or eat brownies if you want.. but, before you sneak it into someone else's system.

College students sometimes!

I was told of an almost identical prank played by a few bright young things at Oxford University, UK in the early 80s - except that only one professor was targeted, because allegedly he committed the cardinal sin in the eyes of the more arrogant students of the Thatcher era in being 'boring'. They apparently thought it very funny to see him staggering around afterwards. I remember, even as a student, thinking that this prank was shocking - for example, what if he'd driven his car without knowing that he was impaired, and had got into a serious accident?

I heard the story second-hand, so I may not know the full story; but so far as I know, there were no really serious consequences, and the students got away with it.

Needless to say, pot was not legal in 1980s Britain. So I don't think the story says anything about legalization. It says something about some individuals, specifically some college students, being stupid and selfish.

Doesn't matter.

If enough of these incidents get a lot of publicity -- or the kinds of marijuana-related shootings that have hit the news in my area -- it could make other states think twice about legalizing. Or our own legislature could repeal the law in two years.

I don't see you pointing that hideous fact out, oh no. Just under a thousand deaths a month so swill happy lushes can booze it up, and booze it up they do. No amount of death is too high, drinkers insist that it is worth the bloodshed for them to have 'happy hour'. They call it happy hour, although those who have seen skid row know happy has nothing to do with it.

we have now when the Prohibition ended? Alcohol is too engrained in the larger culture now to prohibit it, again. But marijuana is not.

So far the Federal government has been willing to look away from the new WA and CO laws. But if too many incidents like this get too much attention, the Feds might decide to step in. Or the legislature could overturn the law in two years.

And meanwhile, other states are likely to decide not to follow down this path.

Reefer madness in this thread.

to people without their knowledge or consent.

I don't think it has anything to do with legalization.

How do you feel about legalization of marijuana?

And I think that too many reports like this threaten this new law. For one thing, the Feds are looking over our shoulders now, watching to see how things go. They could decide to come down hard at any point.

For another, it would be simple for the legislature to overturn the law in two years, if public opinion turned.

This stupid act has absolutely nothing to do with the new law. here are laws addressing this kind of stupidity.

But if there is a surge in people doing such stupid, reckless things, that will endanger the new law.

who don't.