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Subscribe to RSSSAN DIEGO -- San Diego police are investigating whether three Metropolitan Transit System bus drivers were under the influence of marijuana-laced brownies during their routes, officials say.
Metropolitan Transit System spokesmanRob Schupp said three drivers became sickened and reported feeling “dizzy” Sunday while on their routes, possibly after eating pot-laced brownies handed out by another employee.
Previous reports incorrectly said four drivers were sickened.
Transit officials say the three bus drivers acted appropriately by pulling off the road once they realized they had become ill. Replacement drivers were called in, according to NBCSanDiego.com.
It was not known if passengers were on board, or for how long the bus operators were driving while feeling ill, according to NBCSanDiego.com.
View NBCSanDiego.com's story on the bus investigation
According to transit system officials, drug tests were administered to the employees who reported feeling sick. The allegation of the drivers eating the drug-laced brownies, however, has not been confirmed by San Diego police, according to NBCSanDiego.com.
All three, plus an additional employee who allegedly distributed the suspected baked goods, were placed on paid leave while authorities conduct an internal investigation.
Metro Transportation System chief Paul Jablonski says the drivers followed procedures to the letter and supervisors acted quickly to protect the public, according to The Associated Press.
Metro officials say they have a comprehensive drug and alcohol policy that tests all new employees and conducts random tests throughout the year. The program exceeds guidelines set forth by the Department of Transportation, according to NBCLosAngeles.
NBCSanDiego.com's Lauren Steussy and Monica Garske contributed to this story.
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This wouldn't be the first case I've heard of where someone was given a pot-laced brownie without being made aware that it contained cannabis, if that is indeed the case here. There was an article I read not too long ago involving some senior citizens after a funeral where someone had made and handed out the deceased's favorite pot-brownies as a treat without telling the guests that that was what they were (and elderly people have much less tolerance for the side-effects of any medication, including cannabis-laced brownies).
And if that same kind of thing (being unaware the brownies were medicated) is the case here, that's not okay. I have a big problem with anyone who thinks it is acceptable, okay, cool, funny, entertaining, or in any way a good thing to give someone an intoxicating item without telling them about it before they consume it (accidentally bringing in the wrong batch of brownies falls into that category in my mind, since if you are medicating your food you are responsible for where that food goes). There are multiple reasons for this. The person might be in a job where they are drug-tested regularly and need to be sober to do their work (like bus drivers, for instance), since the intoxicating effects of cannabis are greatly magnified and their length of time extended far beyond smoked cannabis (sometimes 12-24 hours worth of feeling some form of intoxication), and because failing the drug test could cost them their job and their livelihood. Or you might have a case where it's a person who has been a former drug addict and has decided that they need to stay away from anything at all that could cause them to feel intoxicated (I've known a couple of former meth addicts who feel this way and won't even take cough medicine), for the sake of their own recovery. Or it could be a person who has a personal or moral objection to being intoxicated or using cannabis specifically (I know some Christian groups feel that intoxicating beverages and substances are a bad thing, even including caffeine). But whatever the reason, someone who has decided not to take a drug should not be tricked or misled into doing so.
I agree with you. This kinda goes along with slipping something in someone's drink without telling them or asking permission.
If this turns out to be true then the person who distributed the brownies should be arrested and charged with felony assault for drugging the other drivers and with criminal reckless endangerment for putting both the drivers and their passengers lives at risk. This may sound amusing to some people, but if this is true it is a very serious offense that could have had very tragic consequences and needs to be treated as such.
Kitty,
I agree that you should never give someone anything without telling them what is in it, BUT, ther are NO side-effects to consuming pot-laced brownies (except a possible case of the Munchies!)
kitty are you high right now?
.
as a person who consumes special brownies I completely agree with putting anyone who feeds pot laced brownies to unsuspecting people in jail. It's not funny. I believe we have the right to decide what we put into our own system but not to force others to do it.
Do you mean besides the dizziness and nausea these drivers felt. Or the impaired judgement? Not to mention that some people do not respond well to pot at all. You know, like paranoia and panic attacks.
ther are NO side-effects to consuming pot-laced brownies?
I have a cousin who is allergic to pot and has to make a trip to the hospital anytime he is exposed to it. You should NEVER give anyone something without telling them. You don't know what other kinds of medications they may be taking. Even if there is no side effect, it may make a necessary medication useless to them.
Whether we ever get to the point where we have to make full disclosures about food we serve to house-guests, knowingly sneaking drugs into food should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law...beyond any charges for the illicit substance possession itself.
There's no such thing as "innocent dosing". Even the old tradition of pouring alcohol in the high-school prom punch bowl is a potentially deadly prank for people whose systems aren't capable of handling it, or who may be taking medication that interacts with it.
If these drivers were really in the dark about what they ate, I feel sorry for them. Not only were they drugged, but they now have to endure an investigation before they're allowed back on the job. Yes, they're being paid...but a shadow of suspicion still hangs over them.
The debate over the legality of cannabis is completely irrelevant here. If the provider of the brownies knew what was in them, it should be a cold day in hell before he sees sunlight as a free person again.
Never had a brownie, smoked it, but never had a brownie, but you never ever give anybody anything at anytime anything with out telling them, and giving them the choice of them taking it. You don't know how someone will react and if it's the first time you never ever leave them alone. I'm just an old timer I guess.
You have WAY to much time on your hands
It's always the few who ruin it for the rest.
Anyone who blames their actions on something they willingly took - is a punk liar looking for an excuse for their actions.
Pot affects you much differently when your tolerance is built up to it - not even cool to slip it to a non user.
I OD' on 151 Rum, talk about something that needs a warning label...ouch!
kitty1985 that is some bs right there. 12-24 hours? No effin way. Get real and post facts not bs.
no evidence at all that there was any cannabis in the brownies they ate, NONE! just because they ate brownies and felt sick after has no relation to brownies made with cannabis, they could of eaten plain bad brownies, they do spoil and can be made improperly with spoiled products.
this is just a knee jerk reaction to swell the anti-(whatever they want) crowd, this is sickening.
if this is just a case of bad brownies would you also want to throw the cook in jail for the same charges?
Pot doesnt make you sick or dizzy... Something else was going on.
Non users will not feel the effect. It takes several exposures to feel the effects of marijuana
Would somebody please send me some of the brownies in question (if there are any left). I will gladly test them for you in a controlled setting and get the results back to you after the weekend.
Thank you.
Kornfed; that was true back in the 1960's when the weed was half bugs and dog hair, the stuff for the last 25 years hits you like a ton of bricks.
How come nobody ever gives me pot-laced brownies, or pot-laced anything for that matter? That would just make my day.
LMAO...guess your not that lucky!
How come I never see "Magic Bus" on the bus schedule?
I'm with you never been offered, if I found out I be like s(*& I'm gonna kill the MFer. I can go home Ya! Once I got home a little Led Zep, Pink Floyd for the rest of the day be like chips and cake and thank you and I get paid for this! No drug testing for a while right? Bong time!!! What you mean I have coke in my system she told me it was sugar
What the hell is Kitty1985 (aka Debbie Downer) talking about!? These drivers got high and then got the day off. That's a good day.
Did you read her entire post? She explained the reasons why it's not right.
Not to mention, it's possible that a person tricked into eating a laced brownie might not be aware of the intoxication and realize that his/her judgement is impaired. A bus driver who is not aware of this impairment is potentially dangerous.
Get it?
Hambone - Sounds to me like they were fully aware. All 3 drivers appropriately pulled of the road oncde they realized they'd "become ill". They were fully aware of their impairment.
Kitty1985,
Bravo for your comments. You are absolutely right on all counts. People who do these types of things never think of the possible, sometimes deadly, consequences of drugging someone without their knowledge. Your last sentence says 'But whatever the reason, someone who has decided not to take a drug should not be tricked or misled into doing so.' I have only one word to say in response to it: AMEN !!!!!
i was once tricked into a beverage that tasted just like cream soda. turns out it was rum and sprite.... dont ask why it taste that way but it does. if you dont believe me try it. it's friggin delicious! so..in convoluted response to your comment... a square is a rhombus... but a rhombus is not always a square... sometimes surprises are tasty and delicious.
can i get an amen?
Sometimes surprises are delicious, but not when you are driving a bus full of people around!
Pot is NOWHERE near as dangerous as alcohol, but it was NOT cool to do this to those who are probably not used to it, and WHO ARE DRIVING!
Holy Crap!!! Am I the only one here that doesn't have a stick up their ass!? Its pot!
I'm with you!
Purveyor, I agree with your attitude toward pot, however giving someone any drug without consent is NOT ok and should not be acceptable to anyone...I've seen people have panic attacks while smoking weed and they knew what they were doing...so if you don't know, you have no clue how someone will react. Being ok with doing drugs yourself has nothing to do with it being OK to give someone a drug without their knowledge. That's criminal.
Purveyor, the right to put whatever you want into yourself AND the right to not put whatever you don't want into yourself are both equally important. It all comes down to the right to make choices about your own body.
Purveyor is just trying to put this in perspective.
I have no problem at all with pot. I think we should legalize it ASAP. However, dosing someone with any kind of medicine or drug without their consent is wrong. Even if these guys smoke every day, doing it during work hours is something else. These men could lose their jobs over this. And if it gets out that they were fired for doing drugs on the clock, they might not be able to get another decent job. I'm hoping that the higher-ups will put the blame on the guy with the brownies and not the unsuspecting drivers, but you can't always trust people to do the logical thing.
where is the evidence presented in this story that can lead anyone to believe that those brownies had pot?
would anyone be discussing pot if the headline read:
"San Diego bus drivers' dizziness linked to spoiled brownies?"
oh, but throwing pot in there gets more readers right?
Purveyor, I would enjoy the brownies myself but giving them to someone without their knowledge is wrong.
I give up. Piss on it.
You will not die high. Instead, you'll die in terror when the bus you're riding in falls into ravine, because the driver unknowingly ate pot-laced brownies.
Sounds like a lot of conjecture on your part Alex......
Pissed on it!
lol Go fire one up.
I think to verify, they should send me some to try...I'll gladly forward the results of my testing.
That being said, no one should ever give any laced anything to anyone without their knowledge.
Purveyor, I agree with your attitude toward pot, however giving someone any drug without consent is NOT ok and should not be acceptable to anyone...I've seen people have panic attacks while smoking weed and they knew what they were doing...so if you don't know, you have no clue how someone will react. Being ok with doing drugs yourself has nothing to do with it being OK to give someone a drug without their knowledge. That's criminal.
First of all.... they don't even know for sure what was wrong with the drivers. Ingesting Marijuana will give you the effects they described, and if someone gave them to the drivers without telling them, they should be arrested.
Second..... Aside from feeling dizzy and not quite yourself, ingesting weed will not harm you in any way, and it's much better for you than smoking it. All these bus drivers would have to do is pull over and say that they aren't feeling well, and the effects will have worn off in a few hours.
Third...... Why is this even a story!
i think everyone's point here is not that it would necessarily harm them directly. but if they are all dopey (pun intended) and are not recreational and/ or professional pot smokers they could very well have crashed one of the buses they were driving.
I'm not sold on the pot angle, I've NEVER felt 'sickened' by pot, but first time users of really good stuff can get the spins (so the 'dizzy' makes sense), and that could lead to feeling 'sickened.'
Either way, don't trick people into trying it, dumb, dumb, dumb!!
Professional Pot Smoker? The kind that tell you "I'm a professional, do not try this at home"? I believe they now offer a major in that in college, don't they? What kind of standards do they have? Is it like a CPA designation (PSA?). You must be one of those professionals yourself, using big words like "dopey" and all. Can you actually be a recreational AND a professional smoker both?
How much does a "professional" pot smoker get paid? Do I need a degree? Are there any openings in my area? I might have to think about a career change... (I assume they don't get randomly drug screened?)
Deemo it's a Story because the Media, Right Wingers, Bible Grippers and a slew of others are trying to Paint a really Negative picture of Cannabis to the general public More Fear mongering and Misinformation for the masses. When the true consumers of Cannabis know the Facts and disregard the Noise. I'm in my 50's Unfortunately I live in the Bible Belt so I doubt i will see decriminalization or Legalization before I die. That's a Shame considering all these Disgusting Drunks' get to Kill people everyday and their Laws don't change. Either Legalize Cannabis or Make Alcohol Illegal. Might near Impossible when all your Lawmakers are Alcoholics and need it to Function Daily.
ranknfile...i dont think that has anything to do with it. It's a story because people driving public buses were given drugs on the job without knowing it. That's a big deal no matter what drug it is. If a cop got dosed with acid, that's a big deal...if the person driving a bus is high without knowing it, that's a big deal as they are in control of giant metal object moving at 30 mph withj 20+ passengers and countless people on the streets. It's sad that you apply this to partisan politics and not to the fact that giving people drugs without their consent is wrong.
If you are using pot (or any drug for that matter) knowingly and intentionally, you expect its effects. However, if you weren't expecting those effects because you didn't know that you ingested something, you might equate the 'not normal' feeling with feeling ill as it might not even cross your mind that you would be high instead.
no evidence of any drug use in this story. so why the assumptions?
the prohibition of marijuana has nothing to do with "right wingers," "bible grippers" or anything that you can think of. why dont you look into the past and see the truth on how and why cannabis (and anything directly related) was made illegal and you will see it had nothing to do with religion or even party, it was all about power and keeping wealth in fewer hands. we used cannabis prior to the early 1900's then all of a sudden we stopped because the government said it was illegal and classified it as SCH1 even though it does not meet the definition of a SCH1 drug. hemp is not cannabis and hemp is non-intoxicating but our great government has also banned that because "law enforcement officers cannot distinguish the difference between hemp and cannabis," a lie.
I don't know about purveyor up there but eating pot-laced brownies without knowing about it can be dangerous.These people were stupid to eat those brownies. These people were truck drivers they need to be aware. I would hate to be riding in a bus with high drivers. obviously Purveyor likes pot. why don't you go get arrested buying some and stop being an idiot.
If they didn't know they were laced, why were they dumb for eating them?
Probably not very dangerous, really, but you won't get where you are going on time.
Because the 'War on Drugs' is a 40 year FAILURE, and the legalization of cannabis is coming. Stop being an oppressive tweeb, and learn that OTHER AMERICANS ARE FREE TOO!
You guys can't see it but right now I have my pants down and I'm making my butt cheeks talk Ace Ventura style at my computer screen.
Do you have a breath mint? or perhaps some Binaca?
purveyor-Yes we can, and it looks like you need some Chap-stick and rouge!
I thought the bus was slow, now I know why.
bus driver #1: hey..it's my birthday..brownies on me everyone
bus drivers #2-4: yay!
bus driver #1: eat up quick your shifts starts in 10. (mmmwahahahah MMMWWHAHAHA)
I wish we could get the trolls like PERVeyor off of here. People like him have nothing to do but smoke pot and get unemployment from the government.
Funny, I felt the same way about someone like you who continues to flog a FORTY YEAR FAILURE like the 'War on Drugs.'
Wake up, it doesn't work!
And twisting someone's name to make fun is the antics of a 5 year old. Wake up, then GROW UP.
I wish we could get mindless trolls like conservativelybiASSed off here too! People like him have nothing better to do than watching the DumbFux Entertainment channel for their marching orders.
need to legalize this stuff and ban alcohol. would be a lot less dead people and crime.
hmmm not sure whats worse...a stoner being a stoner and getting couch locked, or the fact that you have so little to do that you have to comment and say said stoner doesnt have anything to do...
i believe you filled the roles of the kettle AND the "pot" on that one. hahaha
Why do we need to "ban" anything? This is supposed to be the "Land of the Free" and as long as one person isn't harming another who cares what they are doing to themselves. That is that individuals life choice. Besides, we already tried banning alcohol... it was called the prohibition, look how well it turned out. We have already tried banning drugs... look how well it is turning out.
We should legalize everything and instead of spending billions of dollars trying to stop people fro doing what they are going to do anyway we should invest that money into treatment centers to help people who want to stop and education for young people (education that tells the TRUTH about addictive substances and not a bunch of BS) so that they don't start in the first place.
If you think that pot or alcohol or heroin or crack or cigarettes are not harmful then go ahead and do it. It is your choice and you will need to suffer whatever consequence those choices bring to you. That is how you treat an adult. Telling someone "No you cant do that... because I said so!" is how you treat a five year old... I am getting tired of our government treating us like five year olds...
Here Here Redwizard!
Uncle Henry- Imagine that world, all the bars could be transformed into pot bars, everyone smoking out of whatever kind of apparatus they want too....just a big social party with chill music..no bar fights.... bartenders passing out whatever kind of bud you could think of...thats the world i want to live in one day. :)
What kind of idiot doses their bus driving co-workers? If true, there should be an IQ standard for bus drivers and public transportation employees.
Most people working for the government couldn't pass an IQ test. Just go to the local DMV to prove that point.
This is obviously just another hit job story against pot and pot users. The headline should be bus drivers ingest unknown substance that makes them feel ill. To put that it was pot is irresponsible journalism because you are just jumping to conclusions without evidence. And when the findings are released I bet they do not do a follow up story to confirm or deny their allegations. Seems somebody at NBC news has reason to perpetuate negative stories about marijuana because this is not the first time they have ran such a misleading headline and story about "pot".
To paraphrase Ozzy; ALL ABOARD THE CRAZY BUS!
or
TIME TO PAR-TEE....six stops in 60 secs...whoopee!
A "good friend" once gave my daughter a piece of cake, when they were riding in a car (my daughter was driving). Then my daughter got home, and took a walk. During the walk, she felt very dizzy and confused, and barely made it home. She started to throw up, and generally felt sick and scared. Turned up, the cake was with pot. What kind of moron does that?
obviously her friend is the kind of moron that does that. you know what they say, though; birds of a feather...
Druggies care less about other people.
This is just ONE of the many reasons we must never legalize pot.
There are plenty of reasons, but none of them are valid.
The oppression will end. Isn't 40 years of failure enough of a hint for you?!
Classifying anyone who uses pot as a 'druggie' is childish and counter-productive. The vilification is unwarranted and inappropriate.
Lemme guess, your a teenager. you sit on your ass and play on the computer all day, you live in your mum's basement oh and you must be white trash. how pathetic get the hell out of here.
I agree with most of the content of these posts. Uncool to slip any drug to anyone. Send leftovers to me for safe disposal, please.
This could have been a very dangerous situation, you don't know an individuals reaction to any type drug. This is equal to someone slipping something in your drink. The employee that thought this was so funny to do should be immediately terminated and charges by those effected should be instituted. This is no joke....
If so I'm sure my son would love to find out where they got them........
Send some of these brownies my way! They would most likely make me an even better and more attentive school bus driver. Nothing makes you obey the speed limit and other traffic laws more (partially due to paranoia) than some of the green stuff.
And these pot head people want to have our government make pot legal? LOL
No we don't...then they would tax the @!$%#!
They sure do, Seems it has magical properties that only pot can provide. It doesn't do the body or brain any damage, makes a person so happy and care free and they would like everyone to be able to enjoy it and the government could make so much cash off the taxes from the sales! Then these same people want other drugs legalized too as there just fine, really.
I'm so sick of hearing that type of mumbo jumbo, It hurts no one is another one of there favorite sayings but yet you can find stories everyday where pot had something to do with someone pulling a boneheaded stunt or whatever it happens to be that time.
I understand pot does have some great prospects to it in helping cancer patients etc but that's where it stops, at least for now. I'm sure many people won't like my comment here but I don't care for there's either so its a draw but its still illegal and what happened in this story is so wrong its not even close to funny like many make it out to be. Wish people would just grow up.