A Wakulla County student was recently busted when he wanted to celebrate his last day of school by lacing a batch of fudge brownies with marijuana. A genius idea to ‘potheads’ around the world, right?
No. As a result, the student received nine felony counts of poisoning food or water after everyone who ate the brownies experienced adverse effects.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. It is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves derived from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The main active chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; in lamen terms it’s called THC.
The student did not think of the effects the tampered treats would have on the two teachers and seven students that consumed them. As stated in the report from the Tallahassee
Democrat, one student was taken to the hospital after being found in anguish lying on the floor.
According to Canibus Culture Magazine, the exposure to THC can cause allergic reactions with symptoms such as rashes, shortness of breath, fatigue or unusual mood swings.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America campaign’s Web site lists short-term effects as problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of motor coordination, increased heart rate, dry mouth and anxiety.
Surely students wouldn’t want to sit in a classroom wondering why their math teacher is hallucinating and has a sudden craving for Doritos.
The next time students want to spike the punch at the party to liven it up or bring Mary Jane along as a date, think about the consequences first.Courtney Rawls for the Editorial Board.