For the first time since marijuana was legalized for recreational use in Denver, the drug has been ruled as a cause of death.
Levy Thamba, a 19-year-old college student, jumped to his death from a Holiday Inn after consuming an edible, according to the LA Times.
“Edibles” in this context is an edible form of marijuana. Though the most common kind is the THC-infused brownie, edibles have many forms such as cookies, lollipops, Rice Krispies Treats, gummy bears and pretty much any other delicious snack food you can think of.
The high of an edible is completely different than that of ingesting smoke. While ingesting smoke causes an instant reaction from the recipient, ingesting an edible has a delayed reaction and can be felt all over the body. Medical complaints associated with marijuana, especially in edibles, include anxiety, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and hallucinations.
So, what does this mean for marijuana and legalization?
While it might mean nothing as far as legalization in Colorado goes, it may mean more restrictions on the drug. The Denver Post notes that the legislature will most likely have discussions of the issues with edibles this session.
The problem with edibles is that, while the state law prohibits edibles from containing more than 10 milligrams of THC, they can’t control how much you eat. A single pot brownie may be 10 servings, which is 100 milligrams of THC, but law enforcers aren’t there to ensure you wont eat the whole thing.
But is marijuana really dangerous? Most marijuana enthusiasts would say no.
And you can’t get addicted, right?
Wrong.
You can get addicted to anything. (If you’ve ever seen the bizarre show, “My Strange Addiction,” you know what I’m talking about). Just because the drug doesn’t contain addictive qualities, like heroin does, doesn’t mean it can’t be addicting. So herein lies the fear for our future.
Once it becomes legalized in most of our 50 states, which it will, how will marijuana be controlled? There is a fair share of people who smoke so much pot that they act completely normal when under the influence, but does that make it okay to smoke every day? I have to wonder if, once nationwide legalization takes place, marijuana will become a part of our everyday lives, or whether pot will become a social/party/relaxation drug, like alcohol. I’m hoping the latter, but I’m not so sure.
Legalization may push us in the direction of using pot scarcely, into a mindset of “Well it’s legal, so we don’t have to sneak around and do it all of the time.” Or it may encourage marijuana consumption to the point of going to class and work high. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want my doctor high during a check up, and I wouldn’t want my professors stoned while trying to teach. I’m all for the college lifestyle of everyday-weed-smoking mentality, but if it’s legalized, will our recreational habits continue beyond college?
I fear we’re going to lose reality with overindulgence because of the increasingly casual nature of pot consumption. Will the casuality of it all lead to NA meetings welcoming those who feel addicted to pot?
Although we used to think that this harmless drug’s worst side effects were eating too much pizza and laughing a bit too hard, this recent death changes everything. Where will the lines be drawn to protect our society and ourselves? And how can we regulate something that makes us feel so good inside?
I don’t have all the answers. I do, however, know that with the spread of legalization the restrictions will increase as well. I cannot say where we will or should draw the line as far as marijuana restrictions go, but I do know that mentalities about marijuana have to change for us to make progress.
The increasingly casual mindset people have toward pot causes them to forget the truth: A drug is a drug, no matter how harmless it may seem (Dr. Seuss reference there). Whether or not we associate it with straight chillin’ and Bob Marley songs, anything in excess can still be dangerous.
You don’t have to take my word for it, though. After all, I’m still a little high.
Featured photo courtesy of: Marijuana.com
