Maureen Dowd Got So, So Stoned

With Colorado's marijuana legalization effort still working through some bugs, Maureen Dowd decided to play investigative reporter, Cheech and Chong style. And what better way to do that than chowing on a marijuana candy bar in the name of journalism? Problem: The candy bar's packaging gave little indication of its potency, she writes in the New York Times, and she spent eight hours high as a kite, "curled up in a hallucinatory state … panting and paranoid." Eventually, "I became convinced that I had died and no one was telling me." Turns out these candy bars are supposed to be cut into 16 pieces for those who aren't regular users, she found out later.

And that's indicative of "the whole industry (that) was set up for people who smoked frequently," says the state's marijuana coordination chief. "It needs to learn how to educate new users in the market." Officials are working on making packaging more clear; one big concern is making sure kids don't confuse pot candy with regular sweets. It's part of an array of serious dosing problems that have faced users, including a college student who jumped off a building, a Denver man who murdered his wife, and reports of stoned driving out of state, Dowd notes. Click for her full column. (More marijuana stories.)