A Canadian Soldier Is Being Jailed For 30 Days For Giving Out Cannabis Cupcakes

A female Canadian soldier was sentenced to 30 days in jail after feeding her comrades cupcake edibles in 2018 during a live-fire training exercise.

A New Brunswick judge sentenced Bombardier Chelsea Cogswell to what was the first trial of its kind for the Canadian military, who had never experienced a soldier intoxicating their fellow crew. The 28-year-old was found guilty back in August when she was charged with eight counts of administering a noxious substance and one charge of behaving in a disgraceful manner.

Military Judge Cmdr. Sandra Sukstorf told the court that “This case is unique with no similar cases in existence,” reports CTV News. Cogswell’s charges resulted in a reduction in rank to a private gunner and complete dismissal from the Canadian Armed Forces.

The cannabis cupcake edibles were served to eight of Cogswell’s comrades when they were operating a mobile canteen in July 2018 at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick. During the court hearing, prosecutor Maj. Max Reede read multiple victim impact statements that describe the feelings of betrayal and mistrust all comrades felt towards Cogswell.

One particular soldier was struggling with substance abuse before joining the military; he was even homeless at one point. He described how the incident was a threat to his sobriety. Another soldier felt betrayed by Cogswell after dedicating herself to living a life free from all intoxicants.

During the court hearing, more soldiers spoke out about what happened and their danger when trying to execute their large-scale operation. There were allegedly dazed soldiers dropping artillery shells; one gunner was trying to load a round into a howitzer but didn’t realize the shell’s protective cap was still in place.

Another soldier said he mistimed a fuze that controls how far the downrange of a shell will explode. Lastly, one of her comrades said he almost crashed a truck with other soldiers while struggling to focus on the road.

When Judge Cmdr. Sandra Sukstorf found Cogswell guilty; she called her actions “shockingly unacceptable.” She added that Cogswell invited “significant harm” and “potential death” to the 150 participants in the live-fire drill.

Psychiatrist Dr. Vinod Joshi testified to diagnosing Cogswell with post-traumatic stress disorder and cyclothymia, a rare mood disorder, before the incident in 2018. However, the prosecution argued that Cogswell did not show or present any evidence of mental health playing a part in her decision to serve cannabis cupcake edibles to the military.