Zeeland cook in court for bringing space cake to colleague's farewell party

A breakfast cook at a hotel in Veerse Meer, Zeeland, faced court for bringing a cannabis-infused cake to a workplace farewell party, Omroep Zeeland reported on Monday. A colleague who consumed the space cake at the event became so ill that they had to call in sick the following day.

A 29-year-old woman from Vlissingen baked the space cake at home. A space cake is a type of edible that contains cannabis as an ingredient. Typically baked as a regular cake, brownie, or muffin, it is infused with components of marijuana, such as THC, the psychoactive compound that gives users a 'high." The effects are longer lasting and potentially more intense than smoking cannabis, due to the digestive process.

The woman brought the space cake with three grams of cannabis to her workplace for a colleague's farewell drink. She did advise some of her coworkers to eat it after work hours when they were at home.

Despite her warning, five colleagues ate the cake while still at work, resulting in two of them falling severely ill. One male colleague was particularly affected, ending up vomiting in the laundry room and having to stay overnight in a hotel because he was unable to go home.

A female colleague who consumed a large portion of the cake experienced a headache, nausea, felt high, and had memory lapses about her shift, leading her to call in sick the next day.

A settlement attempt was unsuccessful, bringing the case before a police judge. The Public Prosecution Service recognized that while the woman did not intend for her colleagues to fall ill, she knowingly risked the possibility of the cake causing adverse effects.

The woman took responsibility in court. “This was not my intention, I find it very annoying. I should not have assumed that my colleagues would tell others that it was space cake. I should have put a note with it,” she said.

The Public Prosecution Service requested a 60-hour community service sentence for the woman and demanded she compensate her sick colleague with 276 euros for lost wages and other damages.

The cook’s lawyer argued that, despite the lack of intent and her thoughtlessness, the repercussions were already harsh, including her arrest and detention, and demanded a conditional community service order instead.

The court acknowledged the absence of malice but noted her responsibility for the potential risks. Instead of community service, the court imposed a conditional fine of 750 euros, payable only if she commits another offense within a year. The court upheld the 276 euro compensation to her colleague.