Synthetic Marijuana Death Prompts Lawsuit Against Colorado Store

The death of a 19-year-old who died after smoking synthetic marijuana has prompted a wrongful death suit against a Colorado Springs convenience store.

Stephane Colbert alleges that her son, Nicholas A. Colbert, died in 2011 after using a pot alternative called Mr. Smiley. He bought the product after Colorado lawmakers and the federal government banned the sale of synthetic marijuana earlier that year.

Colbert seeks punitive damages, said her attorney, David Woodruff. The lawsuit was filed in Denver . Woodruff said it is Colorado’s first wrongful-death synthetic pot lawsuit.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this month it is investigating dozens of recent hospital admissions and three Colorado deaths related to synthetic marijuana use.