Longtime Customer Accuses Woodland Hills Hair Salon of Serving Pot Cookies, Sues

A longtime patron of a Woodland Hills hair salon sued the establishment Tuesday, alleging that a cookie she picked up from a hospitality tray contained the drug by-product for marijuana.

Jo Ann Nickerson, 72, alleges negligence, strict product liability and negligent infliction of emotional distress in her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against Blush Salon. She is seeking unspecified damages.

A woman who answered the phone at the Ventura Boulevard salon said the owner had no immediate comment because the matter involves litigation.

Nickerson says she visited the salon last Oct. 4 for beauty services and had not eaten anything else all day. As she was leaving, she took a cookie from a tray set out for guests and patrons, according to the suit, which says the business regularly provided baked home goods for its customers as part of its “service, hospitality and ambiance.”

Within an hour of eating the cookie, Nickerson developed “a severe reaction, including hallucinations, rapid heart beat, confusion, disorientation, light-headedness, dizziness, blurred vision, tingling, a headache and nausea,” the suit says. “She found herself unable to speak or had delayed speech and was completely incapacitated.”

Thinking she might be having a heart attack, Nickerson sought medical attention at West Hills Hospital, where a blood test proved positive for THC, the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, according to her lawsuit.

Nickerson had never used marijuana “for any purpose at any time,” according to her complaint.

— City News Service