USA - Suicide Attributed to LSD and Marijuana

[chillinwill]

The Ohio University student who died after repeatedly stabbing himself at Comfest had used LSD and marijuana, according to the Franklin county coroner.

Bryan Barbin, 18, stabbed himself several times with a knife on June 27 while attending Comfest, an annual community festival in Goodale Park.

Tests showed evidence of LSD use in Barbin's brain and marijuana in his blood, said County Coroner Jan Gorniak, who ruled his death accidental.

Detectives consider the case closed, said homicide Sgt. Eric Pilya of the Columbus police. "We believe that the victim had taken some kind of mind-altering substance and that he was doing this to himself."

Witnesses said a man was fighting with Barbin, perhaps over a knife, when Barbin was stabbed. That man turned out to be a friend who was actually trying to take the knife away, Pilya said.

Barbin studied engineering and Chinese at Ohio University, where he'd just completed his freshman year. He was a 2008 graduate of Worthington Kilbourne High School.

By Dave Hendricks
August 6, 2009
The Columbus Dispatch
http://dispatch.com/live/content/loc..._.html?sid=101

[PsychedelicDazezz]

Some people say LSD fills your head with suicidal thoughts and some say it does not, but this is only on the coming down part of the drug. And if one were to commit suicide on LSD i doubt they would do it by stabbing themself with a knife..more creative ways would come to mind. Sounds like the police are hopping around the true cause of death, but they are so quick to point to drugs.

[Don't fear the Reaper]

"Tests showed evidence of LSD use"
"We believe that the victim had taken some kind of mind-altering substance and that he was doing this to himself."

So... they actually have no idea and can't prove much on the basis of guessing.

And the 2 statements there contradict one another.

[sandoz1943]

My question is who brings a knife to a festival? Where did he get the knife? If he grabbed it before he left and possibly before he was high that suggest some planning and forethought. Possibly he grabbed it to hurt someone other than himself and got stabbed accidentally in the struggle or possibly he was expecting a fight. Who knows, Sounds like the cops could have done a better job investigating but I guess it's easier to just guess or blame the drugs.

[Matt The Funk]

Originally Posted by sandoz1943

My question is who brings a knife to a festival? Where did he get the knife? If he grabbed it before he left and possibly before he was high that suggest some planning and forethought. Possibly he grabbed it to hurt someone other than himself and got stabbed accidentally in the struggle or possibly he was expecting a fight. Who knows, Sounds like the cops could have done a better job investigating but I guess it's easier to just guess or blame the drugs.

Agreed. Also IMO psychedelics open you up to yourself, and perhaps he was an already troubled man (consciously or subconsciously) who probably needed someone to reach out to him, but due to the powerful effects of LSD (if this is even the case) these thoughts were brought out in full force....still does not explain the knife though, but we will probably never know the truth.

[chinpokomaster]

I think that breathing oxygen is the real cause. Is it a coincidence that EVERYONE who has ever commited suicide was addicted to oxygen? Think about it.

[lostmente]

swim thinks the general swiys in here are typical denialists. drugs are not suitable for everyone, and some drugs are not suitable for ANYONE.

it seems contradictory for any swiy to say that when it comes to something like weed/alcohol etc then it was their inner demons unleashed. BUT theres this cross over point where people go WOW you survived that drug? have a beer on me! or you're a fool or something...anyway its a bullshit moralistic judgement, and people who examine morals realise they are very falliable because you can never know the facts

[cra$h]

something's wrong with the story. Where was the kid found? This "friend" could easily have stabbed him over something, and made it look like a suicide and blamed it on drugs. and doesn't acid NOT stay in the body and is prety much indetectable within an hour or so?

And swim would bring a knife to a festival in case of a potential robery (probably over drugs) and simply for some kind of protection. You never know....

[cocoabean]

wtf? suicide on mj? whos doing this reasearch?

like one comedian said stuff them there silly in the first place if there gonna jump out a window which is in many stories usually a bridge or a window for some reason never off the top floor?

buy a trampoline or somthing that would be kool.

[Grimfaith]

Sounds to me that it could possibly of been LSD, you never know. Although the main thing is where did the knife come from? Everyone has a very good point.

[Sushi]

For me this story is just another proof that our culture still lacks knowledge, tradition and proper attitude towards psychedelic drugs particularly. A teenager goes to some community festival (is it something like a fair or festivities? not quite sure) - so he does LSD for fun. Probably most potent mind-altering substance is treated like "a party drug" and the trip takes place among the crowd of strangers. Experienced creatures know it all too well: LSD generally causes so profound changes in perception and thought processes that someone who has never done it cannot even begin to imagine what it can be like. It can be heaven and it can be hell. Literally. Alf was in heaven once, it's inexpressible, there is no language for such things. Also the terror one can experience while tripping can be beyond the comprehension of most "normal" humans.
But it's not only that, because LSD was combined with cannabis. Mixing psychedelics, now, this is when things tend to get a new curious twist. Alf did it a few times and found out that it rather interferes with LSD than augments it. If there is some lucidity in tripping on LSD, adding cannabis brings more confusion and difficulties to grasp things properly and deal with various events. Doing things like this at parties or festivals, in public places in short, is a recipe for a trip disaster. It's inviting paranoia and asking for a panic attack or a psychotic outbreak; irresponsibility like this can lead to impulsive, insane actions, aggressive behaviour, tragic accidents and fatal injuries. Just like in case of this boy.

This is where ignorance leads and as long as there is a prohibition and war on drugs' users, there will be no end to it. One cannot expect people will understand what are the dangers of doing various drugs if there's no real education or examples to follow. And there can be no education if talking about experiences with drugs is an equivalent of confessing to a criminal activity. Prevent people from talking and gaining knowledge and there will be no visible culture or accessible and transmittable tradition. Only getting high on anything anywhere and any time, just for shits and giggles.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Very very true and well written, took the words right out of my mouth.