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Keystone visitor commits suicide after eating marijuana candies

Luke Goodman, of Tulsa Okla., died on Tuesday morning. Goodman reportedly died of a gunshot wound to the head, and witnesses say that he had consumed large amounts of edible marijuana candies prior to his death.
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A Tulsa, Oklahoma man visiting Keystone committed suicide after consuming a large amount of edible marijuana candies, according to a Summit County Coroner’s report.

Summit County Coroner Regan Wood said the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. Luke Gregory Goodman, 22, was staying in Keystone with his cousin at the time of the incident, and was taken to Summit Medical Center Saturday night. Later, he was flown to St. Anthony’s Lakewood Hospital, where he was kept on life support for two days until he died Tuesday morning.

Goodman’s cousin reported he and Goodman had consumed edibles earlier Saturday.



A CBS4 Denver report says Goodman bought $78 of edible marijuana with his cousin, Caleb Fowler, in Silverthorne. Goodman consumed two peach tart candies, then two more when he did not feel the effects. He then ate another, for a total of five, each containing 10 mg of the active ingredient in marijuana, the recommended dose for an adult. The back of the package said the candies were supposed to take 1-2 hours take effect.

According to CBS4, Fowler said that several hours later, Goodman became “jittery” then incoherent and talking nonsensically.

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“He would make eye contact with us but didn’t see us, didn’t recognize our presence almost. He had never got close to this point, I had never seen him like this,” Fowler said.

Later, when his family left the condo, Goodman refused to join them. According to the report, Goodman may have used a handgun he normally carried for protection.

Taneil Ilano, a Public Information Officer with the Summit County Sheriff’s Department, said a witness reported that Goodman consumed about four marijuana edibles that day, described as gummy bears. She added that police were dispatched around 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Luke Goodman’s mother, Kim Goodman, told CBS4 that her son had no signs of depression or suicidal thoughts, and believed the overdose of edibles triggered his death.

“It was 100 percent the drugs,” she said. “It was completely because of the drugs — he had consumed so much of it.”

After the incident, several of Goodman’s friends shared about his joy, faith and love for adventure on Facebook.

“He was full of joy and his big smile seriously lit up the room. I loved how Luke was always up for an adventure and would urge you to join him,” one friend wrote.

Another added, “Luke was one of the most humble, funny, and loving guys I’ve known. He always made time to hear out his friends and he enjoyed the greatest adventures God made available on this earth.”

Goodman’s family is currently planning a memorial service on Friday in Tulsa, Okla. His toxicology results are pending and will take about three weeks to be finalized.

“I would love to see edibles taken off the market,” Kim Goodman told CBS4. “I think edibles are so much more dangerous.”

Goodman’s death is the second in Colorado since marijuana was legalized for recreational use. In March of 2014, Wyoming college student Levy Thamba jumped from the balcony of a Denver hotel after consuming 65 milligrams of THC in a marijuana cookie, more than six times the recommended amount.

A report by the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center shows that the number of marijuana-related calls to the center increased 74 percent between 2013 and 2014, when recreational marijuana was legalized. Of all 221 marijuana-related calls to the center in 2014, 23 of them were from individuals ages 18 to 24.

Goodman was a graduate of Oral Roberts University, and co-owned a concessions business called Break Time Vending, according to his LinkedIn account.


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