<p>There is another thread on this.</p>
<p>To clarify, I think the RA should have told Georgetown–as he did. It’s commenting to a newspaper about the case that I think was wrong. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Guess he wasn’t as “anonymous” as he believed. </p>
<p>A Georgetown student, 19, is facing federal charges for having a lethal amount of the powerful poison in this dorm room. He got the recipe online.<br>
<a href=“http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-georgetown-ricin-20140322,0,7766677.story”>http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-georgetown-ricin-20140322,0,7766677.story</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Alarming the something so deadly can be cooked up in a dorm room.</p>
<p>A very good friend of mine works in housing at Georgetown and was telling me about this a couple of days ago. As you can imagine, it’s already a nightmare for the Housing staff. Trying to figure out how long he had it, why he did it, how to prevent this from happening again, etc. The FBI is planning to pursue formal charges.</p>
<p>Re: the comment that he should have known it was illegal… I guess it is clearly forbidden by Georgetown to make poison in your dorm room (somewhere in the honor code possibly?) but is ricin a controlled substance? It may well be, I never had reason to research the topic, but just making poison isn’t illegal. There are lots of uses for poison, e.g. Raid.</p>
<p>From Wikipedia:
</p>
<p>I believe it is considered a bioweapon, and outside these uses it is illegal to manufacture or possess it.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>He made it with the intention of harming another student. That would be against the Student Code of Conduct, the housing contract, etc. etc.</p>
<p>There is no acceptable reason to have a substance like that in a Residence Hall.</p>
<p>@HisGraceFillsMe LOL! I was not suggesting he didn’t do wrong, I was just curious if it were actually illegal. From @intparent 's quote it seems it is. And yes, obviously, attempted murder is illegal. Some were focusing purely on the creation of ricin however, and I just wondered if it actually was illegal to make, regardless of intent, or if it was like rat poison.</p>
<p>Ricin is a select agent, up there with anthrax, ebola, marburg, saxitoxin, Y. pestis, and the botulinum toxins. The list is here, in case anyone was curious: <a href=“http://www.selectagents.gov/Select%20Agents%20and%20Toxins%20List.html”>http://www.selectagents.gov/Select%20Agents%20and%20Toxins%20List.html</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<ol>
<li><p>In their minds, they’re doing something which is daring and want to prove they could do it successfully without harming themselves or anyone else. This was the mindset of a college classmate back when he was around 9-10 who along with his friends got chemicals, created nitroglycerin, deconstructed the nitroglycerin to avoid potential explosion, and lived to turn this into a fun boyhood story. One of the most brilliant persons I’ve met in my life and is now a tenure-track professor at a prominent PNW university. </p></li>
<li><p>Students who feel they are above-average intellectually or better tend to feel that asking parents for permission or for approval is an exhibition one lacks confidence in one’s intellectual abilities or never had much of any to begin with. Solving problems independently without parental approval/help is viewed as a manifestation of one’s capabilities. Conversely, turning to parents for help/ask for permission is viewed as admitting defeat/lack of confidence or sense of independence/adventure. </p></li>
<li><p>In the mindset of many boys, telling someone in position of authority or having the inclinations to do so will cause impressionable boys to be accused of being “scaredy-cats”, momma boys, sissies, etc. Also, some adults…even parents tend to disapprove of children…especially boys who “tattle” or turn to parents at every perceived sign of disobedience/wrongdoing. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>To some extent, this carries over in some workplaces as having a personality inclined towards asking for permission or “tattling” can be interpreted as signs of timidity, lacking good leadership qualities, inability to take the initiative/being independent, and “being a poor team player”. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Don’t know about ricin, but it’s much harder to hide the creation of meth in living spaces…especially dormrooms. </p>
<p>The types of chemicals required and processes are such that the smell is hard to conceal and former meth houses end up being condemned as uninhabitable by local housing authorities because the lingering chemical is so toxic. </p>
<p>Many recent news accounts of people getting sick from renting/buying homes which turned out…had been used to create meth in the past due to such toxic residues. </p>
<p>And that’s not getting into how the chemicals and processes are involved are so volatile that any carelessness or spark in the wrong moment could result in explosions. Many MSM stories of meth houses being found out because of such explosions. </p>
<p>Washington Post story has some additional info. I wonder if Georgetown followed up on the earlier complaint?</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/student-alleged-to-have-ricin-had-been-reported-to-georgetown/2014/03/22/3c646522-b20e-11e3-95e8-39bef8e9a48b_story.html?hpid=z4”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/student-alleged-to-have-ricin-had-been-reported-to-georgetown/2014/03/22/3c646522-b20e-11e3-95e8-39bef8e9a48b_story.html?hpid=z4</a></p>
<p>I thought ricin was a typo, and this was about making rice in a dorm room. :"> </p>
<p>There’s another thread on this. He may be arraigned on felony charges. It is sadly true that it was indeed the deadly poison, allegedly in the Georgetown dorm for about a month.</p>
<p>Why did he make ricin? What was he going to do with it?</p>
<p>Ricin comes from the seeds of the castor plant. Castor plants are very common ornamentals because of their huge tropical leaves. I grew them as annuals for years. The “ingredients” could have been growing on campus.</p>
<p>Update from the Washington Post. <a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/georgetown-student-alleged-to-have-ricin-may-have-been-a-threat-to-someone/2014/03/25/73ba55d6-b434-11e3-8020-b2d790b3c9e1_story.html?tid=hpModule_99d5f542-86a2-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/georgetown-student-alleged-to-have-ricin-may-have-been-a-threat-to-someone/2014/03/25/73ba55d6-b434-11e3-8020-b2d790b3c9e1_story.html?tid=hpModule_99d5f542-86a2-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394</a></p>
<p>He was released to a psychiatristic facility. </p>
<p>It takes more than the beans to make ricin. You have to find the “recipe” and buy the other things, even if you obtain the beans. Then, you have to go through the procedure to get the ricin out of the beans. He reportedly wore a mask while making the ricin. The news reports I have read make it sound like the ricin may have been intended for a particular student. I hope he gets some good mental health treatment–scary!</p>
<p>I just spoke to a friend yesterday whose son is good friends’ with suspect’s roommate (does that make sense?) According to son, this kid has always been “odd” and had difficulties making friends. So, may be some mental health issues. Not surprised that he was sent to psychiatric facility. According to my friend (who also knows parents’ of roommate) - the roommate didn’t know anything about the ricin and is freaking out that he may have been exposed. Understandable.</p>
<p>I cannot image the outrage experienced by the roommate and his family. It looks like enough time has passed to see if he was affected, but I really don’t know. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp”>http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp</a></p>