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In 1970, Hunter S. Thompson decided Aspen, Colorado needed a bit of shaking up and named himself the best man for the job, which led to him launching a bid for sheriff by running on what was dubbed the “Freak Power” ticket.

The writer campaigned on a platform that promised to replace the city’s streets with grass, change the town’s name to “Fat City,” and outlaw the sale of drugs in favor a literal free market, saying “no drug worth taking should be sold for money.”

Thompson’s bid was ultimately unsuccessful, and while he did what he could to get George McGovern to embrace some of his ideas while working on what would become Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, he eventually resigned himself to the reality that his proposals were a bit too radical to be widely adopted.

>His vision remains unrealized almost 50 years later but Colorado took a small step forward when it became the first state to legalize marijuana, and while most people would agree it was the right move, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some downsides.

According to Summit Daily, dog owners in Aspen are now dealing with an unintended side effect in the form of marijuana-laced poop that has resulted in a dramatic rise in veterinarian visits as their pets refuse to resist the urge to eat human feces they’ve stumbled across while exploring the town’s trails and campgrounds.

One vet says he sees up to ten very good boys and girls a week who have fallen victim to marijuana toxicity, and while some of those cases can be attributed to dogs eating bud or edibles, he estimates 80% of owners claim to have no knowledge of the source of the illness.

Thankfully, marijuana doesn’t pose a serious health threat to dogs but the only real way to help out a stoned canine is to give them some sedatives or an IV until the wave passes.

I really hope I shouldn’t have to tell you that you need to pick up after yourself if you decide nature is the best place to relieve yourself when nature calls, but if you need any extra motivation, just think of the dogs.