According to a recent report published by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, the death of Levy Thamba in Colorado on March 11, 2014 was related to his excessive consumption of pot cookies, Westword reports.
The article featured in the latest edition of CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) entitled, "Notes from the Field, Death Following Ingestion of a Marijuana Edible Product" focused on Thamba's reaction upon consumption that led him to fall off from a hotel balcony and die.
Authors of the study wrote that Thamba was "marijuana-naive, with no known history of alcohol abuse, illicit drug use or mental illness."
CDC issues report on marijuana cookie death https://t.co/2KZZoI8A5n #denver pic.twitter.com/g6SaoIUgxg
— Denver News Now (@denvernewsnow) July 24, 2015
The 19-year-old Wyoming college student grew up in the Republic of Congo, and was able to study engineering and advanced mathematics at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming after submitting an essay to an international scholarship program.
The Powell Tribune reported Thamba easily made friends at school and joined them on a trip to Denver during spring break, where he reportedly ate the marijuana cookie. An hour after, Thamba then "consumed the remainder of the cookie," which gave him a higher dose than recommended.
According to authors, Thamba "reportedly exhibited erratic speech and hostile behaviors. Approximately 3.5 hours after initial ingestion, and 2.5 hours after consuming the remainder of the cookie, he jumped off a fourth floor balcony and died from trauma."
"The marijuana store where the implicated cookies had been purchased voluntarily gave all 67 remaining cookies of the same brand to the Denver Police Department," the authors added. "Testing confirmed that the THC levels in the items were within required limits."
The State of Colorado, which has legalized the use of recreational marijuana, has obliged manufacturers to follow "new packaging and labeling rules" in February. The law requires "recreational edible marijuana products" to contain not more than 10 mg of THC in each serving, and to clearly recommend the stated maximum amount for each person to avoid excessive consumption.
