A pot cookie has been blamed for the death of 19-year-old Levy Thamba Pongi, a native of the Republic of Congo. Pongi fell from his motel balcony on March 11 and died from injuries sustained from the fall.
Pongi attended college in Wyoming but was visiting Colorado on spring break. Colorado recently legalized the use of marijuana and Pongi had decided to try a pot cookie that had been legally purchased in one of the new marijuana shops in Denver.
Pongi’s friends claim that after eating the cookie, Pongi began to act strange and violent. They said that he began tearing pictures and decorations off of walls in the hotel room and speaking erratically. The friends tried to calm him down and just when they thought he would be fine, he ran outside and jumped from the hotel balcony.
Although Pongi did jump from the balcony, his friends and police do not believe that he was attempting to commit suicide and his death has been ruled an accident.
Colorado legalized the recreational sales of the drug in January. While many people were excited about the legalization of marijuana in the state of Colorado, there were many who felt it was bad news for the state and would spark crime and violence. Laws require buyers to be at least 21 years old in order to purchase any type or marijuana product.
Pongi was not old enough to purchase marijuana and one of his older friends bought it for him instead. Police have not commented on whether or not they plan to press charges against the person who bought the cookie for Pongi.
Pongi was a student at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. The incident marks the first time a Denver medical examiner’s office has listed a marijuana edible as a contributor to a death.
Do you think the friend who purchased the pot cookie should be held responsible for Pongi’s death?
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