Today in Substance Abuse

Seattlest came across a couple interesting stories today regarding substance use and abuse.

First, the story of a Burlington, Wash., man who pulled a gun and briefly held patrons hostage, after staff at a local brew pub asked him to put out his cigarette. The 59-year-old man was leaving the Cascade Brewery on Saturday, when he lit up and was promptly asked to put out his cigarette. Obviously, this request didn't sit well with the man, who pulled out a revolver and fired a shot into the ceiling. No one was injured, but the man was arrested and booked. We know that quitting is a bitch and, as a smoker, we enjoyed few things more than a smoke after a meal, but jeez!

In much more tragic news, Tristan Ryng—a Tacoma 20-year-old—was charged with vehicular homicide on Monday after his 18-year-old girlfriend was killed when their car hit a tree in a Tacoma parking lot this. Ryng pleaded innocent to the charges, but did admit he was tripping on LSD at the time of the accident. His girlfriend, India Escobar died of a ruptured aorta; she was also apparently on acid...talk about a bad trip.