You know how your Mom always told you not to take candy from strangers? It turns out there really isn’t an expiration date on that sound advice. Two dozen concertgoers in northeast Ohio attending the Machine Gun Kelly headlined EST Fest recently confirmed for the rest of us that a scenario in which a mystery man wearing a marijuana leaf t-shirt passing out free edibles indeed falls squarely under “stranger danger”.
The rap music event dubbed “The Last Weekend on Earth” felt that way for a few unlucky buzz-seeking fans. Soon after indulging in treats, twenty-four people had to be rushed from the event to the nearest hospital for an emergency shot of the overdose antidote naloxone. Twenty-eight-year-old Matthew Gross was later identified as the edibles distributor and slapped with felony drug trafficking and possessing drug paraphernalia charges in connection to the edible overdoses.
While it’s possible Gross had good intentions, it would have been helpful if in advance he would have let his unsuspecting customers know his THC-laced candies were so potent even Walter White was like “yo, that seems excessive.”
According to officials, just one or two candies would have given the desired effect, so you can imagine the sort of trip to space ten times the recommended dose would result in. Luckily the worst side effects of eating fistfuls of the THC-stuffed ‘Nerd Bites’ are only related to being epically-uncomfortable, and do not present the danger of death, or even brain damage.
Although early reports suggested that festival attendees “overdosed” on THC, that’s not really accurate, since it’s pretty much impossible to overdose on THC. As Lt. Joe Petrycki, commander of the METRICH regional drug task force, clarifies: “They didn’t lose consciousness. They just felt different.”
Let this be a lesson: if a man gives you free drugs in the form of delicious candies, don’t be a hero.
(Via ABC News)