Anti-marijuana advocate slams lawmakers for neglecting ‘health of citizens’ amid Bryn Spejcher's trial

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In 2018, Bryn Spejcher, 32, allegedly stabbed her boyfriend Chad O'Melia 108 times after consuming an ultra-high potency strain of marijuana.

According to her legal team, the strain carried a warning label that she was unaware of. Subsequently, she also inflicted harm on her dog and herself, surviving 43 self-inflicted wounds and undergoing multiple surgeries.

Now, anti-marijuana advocate Heidi Swan has accused California lawmakers of valuing the cannabis industry's profits over Americans' health. She even slammed lawmakers and media for intentionally keeping the drug's risks hidden from the public as recreational use grows across the country.

What did Heidi Swan say? 

In a conversation with Fox News, Heidi Swan, a board member of Parents Opposed to Pot asked, "Where are the messages that say this can increase your risk for depression, anxiety, psychosis, schizophrenia, increases the risk of suicide?"

She further questioned, "Where are those billboards? Where are those warning labels on the product? There are none."

For context, Swan attended the recent trial of Bryn Spejcher, who stabbed her date over 100 times before stabbing herself in the neck during a cannabis-induced psychotic episode.

Spejcher, a first-time marijuana user, said in court that she was unaware of the possible negative consequences of THC.

Both Spejcher and the man she killed "are victims of the marijuana industry and of the state of California" because they weren't properly warned, Swan said.

"We have huge public health campaigns about DUIs. We know these things, that if you're impaired, you should not drive," Swan said. "There is no warning about that with marijuana."

The Cannabis Right to Know Act, which sought to stop children from consuming THC candy, was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom while it was still pending a House vote.

Swan said, "They were educated all along the way. All of them heard stories that I am sure they would rather not have heard. And in the end, the bill was pulled due to pressure from the industry," before adding "So, we have no protections in California. We have no warnings about the mental health harms."

Heidi Swan blasts lawmakers for looking at 'tax revenue' 

Targetting law enforcement, Swan said, "Lawmakers aren't looking at the ledger properly, they are looking at tax revenue, but they're not looking at the costs. And there are incredible costs."

"The state of California is more interested in the health of the marijuana industry than they are of their own citizens," Swan told Fox News.

Twenty-four states have legalized marijuana for recreational use by adults since 2012. Swan voted in favor of legalization in the 2016 California election, believing it would be simpler to control despite her own experiences with the substance.

"California rolled out legalization without any thought to public health," she said, before adding, "It's one of the narratives of the industry. ‘Legalize it so we can regulate it.’ And then you try to regulate, and they come in with all their money and all their influence and just smash it down."

Swan said tragedies like the Spejcher case are just "a foreshadowing of what's to come" if cannabis continues to be marketed to the public as safe.

"The celebrities, the athletes, the musicians who are all fronting marijuana companies, they post on social media themselves using and tell young people that it's cool and that it's safe. They should be held accountable somehow for their misrepresentation," Swan told Fox News.

"How does a prevention advocate stand up against that kind of marketing, that kind of appeal to youth?" she asked, before adding, "The least our government can do is to put out basic information to counter that."