An African exchange student visiting Colorado for spring break jumped to his death after eating marijuana-laced cookies, according to the Associated Press.
In the first reported pot-related death since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in January, the Denver coroner's office said on Wednesday, that 19-year-old Levy Thamba Pongi fell from a motel balcony on March 11.
Michelle Weiss-Samaras, spokeswoman for the Denver medical examiner's office said Pongi died from injuries sustained from the fall. Marijuana intoxication is listed as "a significant condition factor" in the young man's accident.
Pongi, a native of the Republic of Congo, attended Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. Weiss-Samaras said that Pongi and his friends, three other exchange students from the same school, mainly came to Colorado to experiment with marijuana. The pot cookie had reportedly been legally purchased in one of the new marijuana shops in Denver.
Weiss-Samaras said that all individuals on the trip tried cookies containing marijuana. After eating the cookie, friends told investigators that Pongi "exhibited hostile behavior" including running around the hotel room, tearing pictures and decorations off of walls and speaking erratically.
The autopsy report said friends tried to calm him down and just when they thought he would be fine, Pongi ran outside and jumped off a fourth floor hotel balcony. Denver police ruled the death an accident but an investigation remains open.
It is illegal for stores to sale recreational marijuana products to people under 21. A police report said that one of Pongi's friends were of age. Adults who give marijuana or marijuana related products to someone under the legal age can be charged with a felony.
"The kids took this cookie, one of them took a bite and then got kind of sick," Weiss-Samaras told the New York Daily News. "The other two obviously didn't have a problem and then this one became very agitated and upset and didn't do well."
Pongi's body tested for at least 250 different substances, including bath salts and synthetic marijuana, which is linked to his strange behavior. His blood tested positive for 7.2 nanograms of HC, the active ingredient in pot, per milliliter. The legal limit for driving in Colorado is five nanograms.
"The Northwest College campus community continues to grieve after Levy's death," Pongi's college said in a statement. "All of us were deeply saddened by this tragic incident and feel for his family."
