The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report about the danger of consuming recreational edible marijuana.
The CDC investigated the case of a 19-year-old who jumped from a Colorado building after eating a marijuana cookie and died from trauma, CBS News reports.
Based on police reports, Levy Thamba Pongi, an exchange student from the Republic of Congo, visited Denver in March 2014 with college friends. One of his companions purchased a marijuana cookie for him. The sales clerk told them to divide the cookie into six parts, saying one part equals one serving that contained 10 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana. They were instructed to eat one serving at a time.
They were told it could take up to 30 minutes before they start to feel the effects of the pot. However, it is not clear whether the seller informed them how long to wait before eating their next serving, CBS News reports.
"Initially the decedent ate only a single piece of his cookie, as directed by the sales clerk. Approximately 30 to 60 minutes later, not feeling any effects, he consumed the remainder of the cookie," the CDC report said.
In the next two hours, Pongi began to exhibit erratic and hostile behavior. Approximately 3.5 half hours since eating his first marijuana cookie serving and 2.5 hours since eating the rest of the cookie, he jumped off the balcony of a four-story building and died.
The autopsy report revealed that the THC level in his blood was 7.2 ng/mL, indicating that marijuana intoxication was a primary factor that contributed to his death. The legal limit of THC for driving is 5.0 ng/mL, according to CDC.
Pongi "had been marijuana-naïve, with no known history of alcohol abuse, illicit drug use, or mental illness," the CDC said.
"He was really speaking in a way that didn't make sense, very atypical kinds of behaviors and train of thought," said Jessica Hancock-Allen, CDC epidemic intelligence service officer and lead author of the report, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Tests done on the marijuana cookies consumed by Pongi revealed that the THC levels were within the required limits. However, because marijuana edibles often have delayed effects, the consumer might eat more than the recommended amount before the "high" begins to kick in. This can lead to risks of greater intoxication and adverse psychological effects, as in the case of Pongi, according to the CDC.
"This case illustrates a potential danger associated with recreational edible marijuana use," the CDC report stated, adding that studies have linked marijuana ingestion with psychological disturbance.
Hancock-Allen also said that the case of the teen exchange student highlights the need for stricter regulations concerning labeling and packaging of recreational marijuana edibles in the states where recreational pot use is legal - Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
