Town’s Water Supply Laced With Unknown Levels Of THC, Signs Show Tampering

[Silent_Bob]

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/07/22/towns-water-supply-laced-with-unknown-levels-of-thc-signs-show-tampering/

LINCOLN COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) – The water supply in a small Colorado town was found to be tainted with THC, the main chemical in marijuana, and there are signs someone may have deliberately put it there.

Everyone in the town of Hugo, on the eastern plains, has been warned not to drink the water.

It was a company performing a routine employee drug test that first alerted law enforcement to the problem on Thursday — unknown levels of THC present in Hugo's water.

"A vial of tap water was used to demonstrate what should have been an absolute negative result, however, when that tap water was tested, a positive indicator for THC was detected," said Captain Michael Yowell of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office said half a dozen more tests showed the same, puzzling result. Then, a public works crew found a well house had been tampered with.

"It showed that there were signs of possible forced entry into the raw water system," Yowell said.

Well house one is no being guarded around the clock and is considered a crime scene.

Not knowing exactly what's in the water, or, how it got there, health officials told residents not to drink it until the system can be flushed in a matter of days.

"Our primary focus of course in the town of Hugo, and throughout Lincoln County, is on the health and safety of our residents," said the Lincoln County Public Health Director, Susan Kelly.

Jennifer Barsi bought as much bottled water as she could find on Thursday.

"We received the announcement when I was in the grocery store. I was in there about 10 minutes and in that amount of time, people had rushed in and sold out of the water," said Barsi.

While an area hospital reports no one has gotten sick, people in Hugo are taking the possibility someone deliberately contaminated their water very seriously.

"This causes real concern, because if it happens in Hugo, Colorado, it can happen any place," said resident Maye Gene Lee.

The well remains closed as investigators await more conclusive test results from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

The Salvation Army will arrive in Hugo Friday morning to distribute bottled water.

[Tom Sawyer]

Sounds suspect to me. THC is oil soluble, it wouldn't want to mix with the water.

[Free libertarian]

Sounds suspect to me. THC is oil soluble, it wouldn't want to mix with the water.

So wait a minute, I WON'T want to dance with white women if I drink that water ?

[KBCraig]

Sounds suspect to me. THC is oil soluble, it wouldn't want to mix with the water.

So wait a minute, I WON'T want to dance with white women if I drink that water ?

Depends on what you mix into your water, but you can't mix any cannabinoids.

The original claim was BS, but the real BS was the testing kits. They'll hit on anything, just like a police K9.

[blackie]

The first test was a urine test kit. They don't detect THC, they detect thc metabolites.

I buy them at the dollar store. They work well enough. Just as good as the pregnancy tests.

[KBCraig]

The first test was a urine test kit. They don't detect THC, they detect thc metabolites.

Which further proves their BS factor when used to "prove" impairment.

Imagine being convicted of driving drunk because the blood test picked up the six-pack you drank 10 days ago.

I buy them at the dollar store. They work well enough. Just as good as the pregnancy tests.

I administer oral swabs to job applicants; they look just like pregnancy tests. Every applicant knows that if they're not smoking a bowl at that exact moment, they'll pass.

[blackie]

I administer oral swabs to job applicants; they look just like pregnancy tests. Every applicant knows that if they're not smoking a bowl at that exact moment, they'll pass.

Those actually test for THC. And they should only detect THC for about 12 hours after intake.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_drug_testing#Saliva_testing
Saliva testing
Cannabis is detectable by saliva testing. Just like blood testing, saliva testing detects the presence of parent drugs and not their inactive metabolites. This results in a shorter window of detection for cannabis by saliva testing. Delta 9 THC is the parent compound. If saliva sample is tested in a lab, the detection level can be as low as 0.5 ng/mL (up to 72 hours after intake) and if an onsite instant saliva drug test is used, the cut off level is generally 50 ng/mL (up to 12 hours after intake).Per National Institute on Drug Abuse saliva drug testing provides a reasonable alternative to other drug testing methods.