As many of us weed enthusiasts know, there are pros and cons to smoking the green stuff.
Some pros include (but are not limited to): feelings of euphoria, a widened taste palette and, above all else, a non-habit forming method of relaxation.
However, some prevalent cons to take under consideration before indulging are lethargy, overeating and apparently, forgetting to burn that handy-dandy terrorism manual stashed under your bed.
OK, that last one might be a little far-fetched, but apparently not in the case of college student Joshua Walker.
When Role Playing Goes Too Far
Walker, a student at Wale’s Aberystwyth University, told police officers that he printed a partial version of The Anarchist Cookbook to use in a role-playing game. He was a member of the Crisis Games Society at his school and admitted to officers that the manuscript “probably should have been burned,” but he was “absolutely plastered” at the time and “smoked a lot” of weed, causing him to forget he was even in possession of the manual.
“I kind of like being controversial from time to time,” Walker said, and even once joked that the “GCHQ [Government Communications Headquarters, a UK intelligence agency] are probably on to me and checking my post.”
When asked about the game, Walker said he couldn’t remember much due to his excessive weed smoking.
“I can remember someone talking about whether poisonous things can be made easily, but I don’t remember another time,” Walker admitted. “I smoked a hell of a lot of weed back then so I can’t remember a lot.”
Walker told jurors that a few months after participating in the role-playing game, he had traveled to the Middle East to “assist Kurdish fighters fighting Daesh/Islamic State.”
Upon his return from Turkey back in December 2016, Walker was approached and detained by officers at London’s Gatwick airport. He was then subjected to intense questioning.
During his questioning, additional officers searched his dormitory in Dan-y-Coed, Aberystwyth, West Wales, where they found The Anarchist Cookbook in a drawer beneath his bed.
The international politics and strategic studies student has denied the charge of possession of a record of terrorist information, an accusation typically bestowed upon a person committing or conspiring for an act of terror.
He is in the midst of his trial at Birmingham Crown Court, and it is scheduled to last about a week.
Final Hit: Student ‘Forgot to Burn Terror Manual’ Because He Smoked Lots of Pot
While Joshua Walker’s alibi is rather humorous, it’s far from unlikely he, essentially, blacked out from smoking too much reefer. While cannabis is known to worsen short-term memory to an extent, forgetting an entire saga of one’s life is a bit far-fetched.
Rather, Walker appears to just be an eccentric dude who just happened to lack discretion when it came to lighting up. We don’t say this often, but in Josh’s case, perhaps it might be best to lay off the pot for a while. After all, you are being accused of domestic terrorism.
Toke responsibly, friends.