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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Crime Licorice Is a Helluva Drug

Posted by on Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 4:19 PM

Seattle police are investigating a bizarre case of possible poisoning after a Crown Hill bartender reported having a bad trip after consuming some allegedly spiked licorice.

According to a police report, the bartender—who is in her late 30s—called police on August 4th to report that she'd been drugged by her co-worker. The woman told officers that she'd purchased a package of black licorice from Trader Joe's several months ago, and stored it on the front seat of her car.

Approximately three weeks after purchasing the licorice, the woman ate some of it while she working out of state. The woman became so ill that she was forced to return to Seattle, the report says.

The woman apparently didn't make a connection between her illness and the licorice and ate more of it the following day. This time, the report says, the woman began to "hallucinate and see 'stripings.'" The woman told police she is convinced someone spiked her licorice with PCP, and although the woman has never had PCP before, the report says, she "was sure this was it."

The woman told police she believes a co-worker—who she has seen lurking around her often-unlocked car outside of work—may have spiked her licorice with PCP, but did not say why. The woman told officers she intended to do her own investigation, by taking a urinalysis test at home. Police also took the suspicious licorice in to evidence.

 

Comments (16) RSS

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1
Licorice o.d. can cause muscle failure & liver complications (according 2 Wikipedia), but not hallucinations, but since no one has analyzed the results of heating a mixture of sugar & licorice root extract inside an automobile for months at a time, who knows? If a car is hot enough inside to bake cookies in the summer, it could cause sugary candies to undergo chemical changes too...
Posted by E on August 13, 2009 at 4:33 PM
2
Picture yourself in a car in the lot,
With striped trees and licorice skies.
Posted by Sandal Labs on August 13, 2009 at 4:39 PM
Will in Seattle 3
Fermentation is a wondrous process, and is why edible grains make for the D.T.s when you drink too much vodka or beer or wine (grapes).

Don't store edible food in your car with extreme temperatures. Even things that last a long time can go strange.
Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on August 13, 2009 at 4:39 PM
Big_K 4
Really. Three WEEKS sitting on the front seat (oh, excuse me, "stored") of an unlocked car?? Methinks someone is plotting againt that co-worker.
Posted by Big_K on August 13, 2009 at 4:41 PM
Fifty-Two-Eighty 5
Why doesn't she just lock her fucking car? Dumbass.
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty http://www.nra.org on August 13, 2009 at 4:47 PM
Rotten666 6
Someone has a case of the crazies.
Posted by Rotten666 on August 13, 2009 at 4:50 PM
kcrobinson 7
Spiked licorice that causes hallucinations? Isn't that absinthe?
Posted by kcrobinson http://www.facebook.com/kcrobinson on August 13, 2009 at 4:53 PM
Hyzenthlayk9 8
Most licorice is made with anise due to the possible toxicity that can occur if eating real licorice. I highly doubt that there was any licorice (or at least none in any significant amount) in the confection that she ingested.

Now as for storing the candy in an unlocked car for weeks on end, well, that's a whole other thing entirely.
Posted by Hyzenthlayk9 http://oystermind.blogspot.com/ on August 13, 2009 at 4:57 PM
iridius 9
Sounds like ergot poisoning more than PCP.
Posted by iridius on August 13, 2009 at 5:01 PM
julie russell 10
I'm thinking PPD not PCP
Posted by julie russell http:// on August 13, 2009 at 5:04 PM
Dougsf 11
Hard to tell by the description, and I guess they won't know until her tests come back, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was experiencing a panic attack. They can be very intense, especially your first time.

Also, don't eat anything that's been sitting in you unlocked car, for three weeks, in August.
Posted by Dougsf on August 13, 2009 at 5:05 PM
kim in portland 12
Now, I want some licorice, some that soft Australian kind.

Oh, and she needs to lock her darn car.
Posted by kim in portland http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/11/fast-paced_video_provides_a_fu.html on August 13, 2009 at 5:14 PM
13
Why would someone dare defile their PCP with licorice? Is nothing sacred?
Posted by UnCommonSense on August 13, 2009 at 5:30 PM
Zebes 14
Why are the kookaburras laughing?

Because they spiked your goddamn licorice! Kookaha ha ha!
Posted by Zebes http://www.badrap.org/rescue/index.html on August 13, 2009 at 5:43 PM
merry 15
Further proof that licorice is EEEEVIL!!!

RUN FAST AWAY AND DO NOT LOOK BACK!!!
Posted by merry on August 13, 2009 at 6:01 PM
16
Time for a trip to Trader Joes for some licorice!!
Posted by mmmm-ergot on August 14, 2009 at 10:48 AM

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