<div>If this had been a heroin overdose, there would be outraged cries to find the distributor of the heroin involved to extract justice. But with the sacred cow of legal alcohol drug distribution, supplying large quantities of alcohol on someones 21st birthday, in the reasoning of many, in no way indicates profit making distributors of alcohol have any responsibility for Harris's alcohol overdose. </div>
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<div>Alcohol is too powerful and dangerous a drug for businesses to be supplying numerous shots of hard liquor, without warnings of the lethal dangers, to someone who at 21 may lack the experience and awareness of medical facts to fully realize it can directly kill due to an overdose,. Perhaps those purchasing birthday drinks (I think some bars give away free birthday drinks) on their 21st birthday should be handed literature and/or warnings that alcohol is a powerful drug that can result in an lethal overdose, something that I doubt occurred in this case:</div>
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<div><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/13/benjamin-harris-dead-univ_n_644888.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/13/benjamin-harris-dead-univ_n_644888.html</a></div>
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<div><a id="title_permalink" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/13/benjamin-harris-dead-univ_n_644888.html"><font color="#111111">Benjamin Harris Dead: University Of Idaho Student Dies Of Apparent Alcohol Poisoning On 21st Birthday</font></a>
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<p><a class="wire_author" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/13/benjamin-harris-dead-univ_n_644888.html#"></a>| 07/13/10 03:26 PM |</p>
<p>MOSCOW, Idaho — Police say a University of Idaho senior died of respiratory arrest, apparently due to alcohol poisoning after a night of drinking to celebrate his 21st birthday.</p>
<p>Emergency personnel responded to a report of an unconscious man at Sigma Nu fraternity at 2:42 a.m. Tuesday. They located Benjamin Harris of Burley on the third floor and began CPR. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Gritman Medical Center.</p>
<p>Assistant Police Chief David Duke says Harris may have had as many as 15 shots in two-and-a-half hours as he celebrated his birthday Monday night.</p>
<p>A preliminary investigation indicated Harris died of respiratory arrest caused by alcohol poisoning. The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner after review of the toxicology reports</p>
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<p>From U of I Argonaut:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.uiargonaut.com/content/view/10418/48/">http://www.uiargonaut.com/content/view/10418/48/</a></p>
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<td valign="top" width="70%" colspan="2" align="left"><span class="small">Written by Elizabeth Rudd - Argonaut </span> </td></tr>
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<td class="createdate" valign="top" colspan="2">Tuesday, 20 July 2010 </td></tr></tbody></table></p>
<p>Police were told by fraternity members that Harris and three other friends had gone out to celebrate his birthday and visited four clubs in the downtown Moscow area, Duke said. </p>
<p>“The shots of alcohol were taken sometime between 9:30 and midnight,” Duke said. “We believe at the minimum of 15 shots had been taken. As far as total amount — it would be hard to determine that.” </p>
<p> He said they believe more alcohol was consumed than originally reported, but they are waiting for toxicology reports to return in six weeks to determine a more accurate amount. </p>
<p>“Excessive alcohol is lethal, and in this case it proved lethal to Mr. Harris,” Duke said. </p>
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<p>Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett</p></div></div>