A college student visiting Denver on spring break reportedly jumped to his death after eating a cookie laced with marijuana purchased legally by his friend from a Colorado recreational pot shop, according to authorities.
The autopsy report for 19-year-old Levi Thamba Pongi, a native of the Republic of Congo, lists marijuana as a “significant contributing factor.”
The student who fell from a motel balcony on March 11, was said by his friends to have ”exhibited hostile behavior” that included pulling things off walls and speaking erratically.
Attempts by the three friends to calm Pongi seemed to work until he jumped over the balcony railing, according to the report.
Denver police have ruled the death an accident and their investigation remains open.
According to Colorado law, the sale of recreational marijuana to people under age 21 is illegal. Possession by people under 21 is also against the law.
One of Pongi’s friends who also tried the weed laced cookie, stopped after feeling sick.
The marijuana concentration in Pongi’s blood was 7.2 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood. According to Colorado law, a jury may assume someone to be driving while impaired if blood contains over 5 nanograms per milliliter of the drug. To date there has never been an overdose death directly connected to the use of marijuana by itself.