Man Sues Colorado Pot Dispensary For Pot-Laced Chocolate, Alleges Overdose

A Colorado man is alleging in a lawsuit that a pot dispensary handed out pot-laced chocolate that led him to overdose, Raw Story is reporting.

Jordan Coombs alleges in the lawsuit, which can be seen in its entirety here, that he was attending the Denver County Fair last week with his small children when he visited the fair’s “Pot Pavilion,” which showcased Colorado’s new legal marijuana industry. The pavilion, which ironically was supposed to be cannabis-free, was allowed to offer cannabis-themed merchandise. There, he alleges, he was handed chocolate by representatives from LivWell, a Denver dispensary, which he believed were pot-free, but actually contained THC (the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana). Coombs tells Raw Story:

“I felt like I was having a heart attack. I started having convulsions and freaking out and said, ‘We’ve got to get to the hospital right now.'”

He states that his wife drove him to the hospital, and on the ride he projectile-vomited uncontrollably. At Swedish Medical Center, according to The Denver Channel, Coombs was diagnosed with THC overdose. According to the lawsuit, he had 100 nanograms of THC in his system, more than 20 times the legal limit.

“I essentially ate 10 doses at once, never having THC in my system ever before.”

Coombs is named as the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit, filed by Denver attorney Corey Zurbuch, that alleges LivWell also handed out THC-laced candy to other unsuspecting fairgoers.

Richard Jones of Arvada, another fairgoer named in the suit, tells The Denver Channel that he too was given candy at the Pot Pavilian that he was told was pot-free.

“They were giving out samples and they made sure to tell us that the samples are just a sample of their chocolate, that doesn’t have any THC in it, and the guy went so far as to let us know if we came into the store, the ones in the store would taste different.”

An hour later, according to the lawsuit, he was sweaty, nauseous, and concerned he might be having a heart attack or a stroke. He was treated by paramedics on-site and then taken via ambulance to a hospital.

The lawsuit does not specify damages the plaintiffs are seeking, beyond what is “fair and reasonable,” according to the suit.

The parent company of LivWell issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit:

“We are aware that someone made a complaint to [the news media] alleging that chocolate samples distributed at the Denver County Fair contained cannabis. If this occurred it was without our knowledge and was not sanctioned by our company. We are currently investigating the matter.”

Consuming THC via “edibles,” as they are called in the industry, can often lead to overdoses for a variety of reasons; primarily, it’s because the amount of THC in them can vary wildly, according to USA Today. Overdosing on edibles, while not fatal, can lead to terrifying psychotic states (see this Inquisitr article).

Does marijuana legalization mean that more cases like Coombs’ are going to happen? Should marijuana be legalized anyway? And does Jordan Coombs deserve a big settlement for overdosing? Let us know what you think in the comments.

[Image courtesy Animal New York]