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Patient high on mushrooms stabs NY nurse

By Phungushead · Oct 15, 2009 · 1.4K · 9
  1. Phungushead
    Police: Patient high on mushrooms stabs NY nurse

    Authorities say an 18-year-old patient high on psychedelic mushrooms stabbed a nurse in the chest with a pocket knife during an examination at a central New York hospital.

    CORTLAND, N.Y. — Authorities say an 18-year-old patient high on psychedelic mushrooms stabbed a nurse in the chest with a pocket knife during an examination at a central New York hospital.

    Alex Stephens of Freeville was charged with felony assault and criminal possession of a weapon after the incident at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at Cortland Regional Medical Center. He was arraigned in Cortland City Court and jailed without bail.

    Police say the 53-year-old male nurse is in guarded condition with internal bleeding.

    Police say Stephens had ingested hallucinogenic psilocybin (sy-luh-SY'-buhn) mushrooms while visiting friends at Tompkins Cortland Community College.

    Authorities did not know whether Stephens had a lawyer.




    October 14, 2009

    The Associated Press
    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010065646_apusnursestabbed.html?syndication=rss

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  1. Nnizzle
    At least theyre already illegal... this would have been the excuse.
    Nnizzle, Oct 15, 2009
  2. caltrain208
    What a strange incident for mushrooms- I wonder what the validity of this story is...
    caltrain208, Oct 15, 2009
  3. Phungushead
    Police: Man at TC3 dorm overdoses, stabs nurse

    [IMGL="white"]http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11107&d=1255588323[/IMGL]A former Tompkins Cortland Community College student who had ingested hallucinogen mushrooms was charged with stabbing a Cortland Regional Medical Center nurse early today.

    Alex J. Stephens, 18, of Freeville was at the hospital for a mental health evaluation when he stabbed a 53-year-old male nurse in the chest once at 1:30 a.m., Cortland Police said. He was subdued, arrested and charged with first-degree assault, a felony, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor, they added.

    The victim is in guarded condition with internal bleeding at Upstate Medical Hospital, police said.

    Stephens, who withdrew from classes earlier in the week, was visiting friends at the campus residence halls, college officials said. Stephens’ friend told campus public safety officers that Stephens had overdosed on a narcotic drug, and Dryden Ambulance took Stephens to the hospital for evaluation under the mental hygiene law, police said.

    Stephens became unruly at the hospital, pulled a folding knife from his waistband and stabbed the nurse, police said. Their investigation revealed that Stephens had been using psilocybin mushrooms earlier in the evening, they added. Psilocybin is a hallucinogen, according to the Department of Justice.

    Stephens was arraigned in Cortland City Court and remanded to Cortland County Jail without bail.


    October 14, 2009, 11:34 am

    By Raymond Drumsta
    http://www.pressconnects.com/articl...olice++Man+at+TC3+dorm+overdoses++stabs+nurse

    Phungushead, Oct 15, 2009
  4. whitenoise
    People who act like this are the reason why the general public are so misinformed about drugs, especially hallucinogenics.
    whitenoise, Oct 15, 2009
  5. jgarlopa
    My heart goes out to the unfortunate nurse who was just doing his job, but I would hope that the felony charge of first-degree assault could be lowered to something less serious, possibly a misdemeanor, since I don't think it was this kid's intention to go to hospital and stab someone. He was not in his right mind (and therefore was unaware of his actions) at the time, which means that in some jurisdictions he could not be charged at all. I know someone in Eindhoven (Netherlands) who was supposedly arrested many times for similar assaults, but never charged because he was under the influence every time. Go figure...
    jgarlopa, Oct 15, 2009
  6. EscapeDummy
    That's messed up. I dont think that's alright.
    EscapeDummy, Oct 18, 2009
  7. Birkill
    If your man enuff to take drugs your man enuff to deal with the consquences of your actions while on x substance!After all drugs are bad m`kay!
    Birkill, Oct 28, 2009
  8. Frond
    This is the sort of thinking that gets drugs banned in the first place. Drugs should not be used as an excuse to justify violent behavior. If they are, then drugs will be banned forever on the basis of preventing violent behavior.

    The same exact behavioral standards need to apply to everyone, regardless of whether they're on drugs or not. There aren't any different traffic laws and standards for drunk drivers than there are for sober ones, are there? Then there shouldn't be any legal loopholes for people on drugs.

    Hold the people responsible. Not the drugs. Then you will force people to exercise responsibility for what they do on drugs, and actually make them take drugs seriously - which things like mushrooms absolutely demand. And if you stop the misuse of drugs by making people accountable for their behavior while on drugs, you will be able to legalize drugs once and for all.
    Frond, Oct 28, 2009
  9. jgarlopa
    I respect that, Frond. An issue such as this should be looked at from a broader point of view like that. Now I must say that my initial statement was from a legal standpoint only, and did not reflect my own opinion. Every single one of my Dutch friends and I remain upset at the ban on magic mushrooms that resulted from a small group of stupid tourists not being held accountable for their own actions, with the community as a whole left to suffer.
    jgarlopa, Oct 31, 2009
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