Man Claims Edible Marijuana Made Him Kill His Wife

>> NOW THAT COLORADO HAS LEGALIZED MARIJUANA FOR RECREATIONAL USE, INTERESTING CASES ARE ARISING INVOLVING PEOPLE THAT HAVE USED MARIJUANA AND HAVE BLAMED CRIMES THAT THEY HAVE COMMITTED ON CONSUMPTION OF THE DRUG. CASE IN POINT, RICHARD KIRK SHOT AND KILLED HIS OWN WIFE IN 2014. HE HAS PLED NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF INSANITY. HE SAYS HE EXPERIENCED A PSYCHOTIC EPISODE AS A RESULT OF INGESTING EDIBLE MARIJUANA. IT WAS LACED WITH THC I SHOULD SAY. THAT IS ALLEGEDLY WHAT HAPPENED. IT SHOWS HE WAS NOT IN THE RIGHT STATE OF MIND. >> HE IS NOW SUING THE MARIJUANA MANUFACTURER, THE COMPANY THAT MANUFACTURED THAT EDIBLE, AND THE DISPENSARY THAT SOLD THAT PRODUCTS WERE NOT PROPERLY LABELING THE PRODUCT AND INDICATING WHAT THE POTENTIAL RISKS COULD BE. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT COULD WORK IN HIS FAVOR, AND AGAINST HIM, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THERE ARE HIGH-STAKES. THIS COULD HINDER MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION DEPENDING ON HOW THE CASE PLAYS OUT. >> SO, HE'S MAKING AN ARGUMENT THAT THE MARIJUANA DRUG COMPANIES LOVE. I AM ENORMOUSLY SKEPTICAL. I ACTUALLY HAVE A FAIRLY EXTREME REACTION TO EDIBLES. I TALKED ABOUT IT IN THE POST GAME BEFORE. BELIEVE ME, IT TRIPS ME OUT. IN THE MIDST OF ALL OF THAT I NEVER WANT TO COMMIT VIOLENCE AGAINST ANYONE. PERHAPS WHAT IS IN YOU IS ALSO VERY RELEVANT. IT IS YOUR PREDISPOSITION, YES, THAT MATTERS. OBVIOUSLY THE DRUG ITSELF MATTERS, BUT I AM SKEPTICAL THAT IT MATTERS TO THAT DEGREE. >> LET ME PREFACE EVERYTHING I AM ABOUT TO SAY WITH THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL FACTORS THAT CAN PLAY A ROLE THAT WE DON'T HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT RIGHT NOW. FOR INSTANCE, IS THIS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS PREDISPOSED TO HAVING PSYCHOTIC EPISODES? DID HE TAKE ANY OTHER TYPE OF DRUG AS HE WAS INGESTING THE PRODUCT? FOR INSTANCE, THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HOW HE MIGHT HAVE TAKEN A PAINKILLER. THAT HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED. BUT COULD THAT HAVE PLAYED A ROLE? WAS THERE ANY VIOLENCE IN THE RELATIONSHIP PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING? THOSE ARE ALL THINGS WE DON'T HAVE DETAILS ON, BUT HERE'S WHAT WE HAVE DETAILS ON. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT WORKS IN HIS FAVOR. IT IS TELLING THAT THE VICTIM'S FAMILY IS SIDING WITH THE PERSON THAT KILLED THEIR DAUGHTER. NONETHELESS THERE IS ALSO EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM. THERE IS ALSO AN ISSUE WITH THE WAY RESEARCHERS CAN MEASURE THE AMOUNT OF THC IN YOUR SYSTEM. THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH IT, IT IS NOT FOOLPROOF. ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN STUDIES IN THE PAST INDICATING THAT IF YOU ARE PREDISPOSED TO HAVING PSYCHOTIC EPISODES, MARIJUANA COULD TRIGGER IT. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THERE IS A POSITIVE LINK BETWEEN PSYCHOSIS AND VIOLENCE. IN FACT, NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE INDICATED THAT MARIJUANA HAS A LINK TO A DECREASE IN VIOLENCE. THE SCIENCE IS NOT NECESSARILY ON HIS SIDE. I WILL GO TO MY EXPERIENCE HERE, IT IS ANECDOTAL, NOT CONCLUSIVE. YOU GENERALLY GO WITH WHAT IS IN YOUR HEAD. HAVE I HAD TANGENTIAL THINKING WHEN I WAS HIGH ON EDIBLES? YES. ONCE I THOUGHT IT WAS SWIMMING IN A RIVER OF HAZELNUTS. THAT WAS LOVELY. ANOTHER TIME I WAS STRESSED OUT AND I THOUGHT THE COLORS GREEN AND RED WERE ATTACKING ME. THESE ARE ALL IN POST GAMES I HAVE DISCUSSED BEFORE, TYTNETWORK.COM/JOIN. BUT NEVER DID I HAVE A THOUGHT THAT I WOULDN'T OTHERWISE HAVE. YES, YOU ARE TRIPPING, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD DO SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT ALREADY A NOTION I HAD. THE IDEA THAT IT WOULD HIT ANYONE LET ALONE SHOOT MY WIFE. NO WAY. YES, IT IS ANECDOTAL AND MIGHT AFFECT DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IT SEEMS CONVENIENT THAT THIS GUY WINDS UP KILLING HIS WIFE AND SAID THE DRUGS MADE ME DO IT. >> FIRST OF ALL, LET'S TALK ABOUT PRECEDENT AND HOW SUBSTANCE MANUFACTURES HAVE BEEN TREATED IN THE PAST WHEN THERE'VE BEEN CASES OF PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN MURDERED. ALCOHOL DOES HAVE A POSITIVE LINK TO VIOLENCE. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CASES ñ SORRY TO SOUND LIKE TRUMP. WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CASES WHERE ALCOHOL LED TO A VIOLENT EPISODE BETWEEN A COUPLE AND THERE WAS VIOLENCE TO THE POINT WHERE SOMEONE GOT KILLED. DO THE ALCOHOL MANUFACTURES GET PROSECUTED? NO. WHY IS IT THAT MANUFACTURERS OF MARIJUANA GET TREATED DIFFERENTLY? I'M NOT SAYING I DON'T WANT THESE PRODUCTS TO BE LABELED OR THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE THAT EDIBLES DON'T LEAD TO PSYCHOSIS. I'M JUST SAYING WE NEED TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE WAY WE TREAT MANUFACTURES. ANOTHER THING, I HAVE EXPERIENCED HALLUCINATIONS ON EDIBLES. I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THEY ARE DANGEROUS, BUT THEY HAVE A MUCH STRONGER IMPACT ON YOU THAN SMOKING MARIJUANA. AS A RESULT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO SOMEONE WHO IS PREDISPOSED TO PSYCHOTIC EPISODES. MAYBE IT COULD LEAD TO THEM BEING VIOLENT. YOU NEED TO HAVE MORE STUDIES ON THIS. THE REASON WHY WE DON'T AT THE MOMENT IS BECAUSE HISTORICALLY RESEARCHERS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO STUDY MARIJUANA. IT'S BECOMING MORE EASY, BUT IN THE PAST IT HAS BEEN ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. >> IT IS BECAUSE THEY CALL IT A SCHEDULE ONE DRUG. THEY CLAIM IT CANNOT POSSIBLY HAVE ANY POSITIVE EFFECTS. THAT IS PREPOSTEROUS. WE KNOW THAT NIXON AND HIS ADVISERS HAVE ADMITTED THAT THEY KNEW THAT WASN'T THE CASE, THEY JUST OF THE WAR ON DRUGS TO TARGET THE POLITICAL OPPONENTS, BLACKS AND LIBERALS. WE ARE PRO-SCIENCE AND PRO-FACTS ON THE SHOW. OF COURSE YOU SHOULD DO RESEARCH. MEANWHILE, DON'T FEARMONGER ON IT. THE NUMBER OF ASSAULTS, LET ALONE MURDERS THAT HAPPENED ON ALCOHOL IS COUNTLESS. NO ONE IS GOING AROUND SUING BUDWEISER OVER IT. >>EXACTLY. >>LET'S KEEP IT REAL, STUDY IT. LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN COURTS. DON'T BUY INTO THE HYSTERIA. >> THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF FRIENDS OF THE VICTIM WHO HAVE SAID THEY WERE HAVING SEVERE RELATIONSHIP ISSUES PRIOR TO THIS ***. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO INDICATE THAT HE WOULD'VE ACTED VIOLENTLY AS A RESULT, BUT THIS IS THE TESTIMONY AT HAND. >> THAT'S FOR THE JURY TO DECIDE. JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE HAVING MARITAL TROUBLE DOES IT MEAN YOU'RE GOING TO KILL YOUR WIFE. AT THE SAME TIME IF I AM ON THE JURY AND SOMEONE COMES AT ME WITH MARIJUANA MADE ME DO IT, I AM A LITTLE SKEPTICAL.