A Spain University student went into coma for a brief period Sunday at a Madrid hospital after eating a cake baked with marijuana.
Javier Chivite, city emergency services spokesman said that the student has recovered but he is still hospitalised. The officials are unable to determine whether the birthday cake was responsible for the student's comatose state, or if he consumed other substances or was suffering from pre-existing medical problems, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Chivite said about 11 people were affected by eating the cake. 10 of them were hospitalized for irregular heartbeat.
Jose Dominguez de Posada, dean of Madrid's Alfonso X University, said the affected male students, aged between 18 and 22, were studying veterinary sciences.
Buying, selling and smoking cannabis (also known as marijuana) at public spaces in Spain constitutes a criminal offense. But growing and consuming the plant on private properties is legal, Medical Cannabis Spain reports.
Due to the strict laws, numerous private, member-only clubs have surfaced in Spain in recent years to make smoking cannabis seem legal, the Guardian reports
Private Cannabis Club in the Madrid dormitory town of Paracuellos de Jarama is one of the 40 clubs that have appeared in garages and back rooms around the country. "We've been open for two months and we already have 125 members," said the association's president, Pedro Álvaro Zamora.
"This is the one place we can smoke in peace," said a customer at the bar while mixing tobacco and dried, shredded cannabis leaf in a long rolling paper.
Alicia Méndez, a club official, said that the club is not open to public. Potential members need to have a right profile and are interviewed before being admitted.
"The club recognises that cannabis is not good for everyone. We propose a responsible form of consumption. Not everyone should smoke. We know there are risks," Zamora said.
Zamora said that the members can carry their own cannabis or take it from the club's stockpile. They can even take some back home. "It is illegal to buy, sell or transport, so you can be fined if caught with it on you." The club offers legal assistance to fined members.
