Maine cannabis community weighs in on pot-induced killing in California

Chad O'Melia, left, was killed by girlfriend Bryn Spejcher after they took some hits of high-potency pot. (O'Melia/Facebook; Spejcher/police mugshot)

LEBANON, Maine - The Rochester Voice reached out to the medical and recreational cannabis community after learning of a case in California in which a woman fatally stabbed her boyfriend more than 100 times before turning the knife on herself.
Bryn Spejcher, 33, was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community earlier this week after experts for both the prosecution and defense testified that high-potency pot caused a "psychotic state" that led to the attack.
A West Lebanon caregiver, who's been in the business since 2014, said she is aware of several incidents in which cannabis, likely laced with other illegal drugs like PCP or meth, has caused severe reactions in individuals who were unaware the pot they were smoking was tainted.
"I've seen it where marijuana was laced with something and it has caused seizures, hallucinations and anger fits," said the caregiver, who asked that their name not be used for this article.
Killed in the California attack was Chad O'Melia, 26, who died in his Thousand Oaks, Calif., home after the two had taken several hits from a bong.
When police arrived at the scene they found Spejcher standing in a pool of blood suffering from several self-inflicted knife wounds to her neck.
O'Melia purchased the high-potency cannabis, which included a label warning that it was intended for "high tolerance users only."
Spejcher also stabbed her own dog, a Siberian Husky, who survived.
Devin McNeil of Hollis, a manager at Landrace Cannabis in Sanford, said people have to be responsible with their cannabis use.
"She may have had something else going on that was problematic," said McNeil, who was voicing his own opinion and not that of Landrace Cannabis. "And she may have been doing too much and then acted on impulse."

Another cannabis worker in Lebanon said she may have had other issues that played a role in the attack.

"She probably had mental issues and other stuff going on," said Greg, a self-described "budtender" at a Lebanon recreational cannabis shop. "Uneducated people making bad decisions. Look at what alcohol does to people."
Meanwhile, the father of the man killed reacted to the light sentence by saying that the judge's decision made it OK for someone to go smoke a joint, kill someone and get off scot-free.