CZM Rewind: Magic Beans

In 2017, a man showed up at the emergency room and confessed that he'd accidentally poisoned himself with homemade ricin. He was federally charged with possessing a biological agent, but his case was dismissed on almost unbelievable technicality. But he's not the only man who thinks he can create the perfect weapon from nothing but a handful of beans. Original Air Date: 7.31.25Sources:https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional/ajc-watchdog-north-man-arrested-for-ricin-radicalized-online/wdxws9G7zMmaUDmm22njYK/https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/the-perfect-poison-ricin-used-in-3-recent-cases/https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17023504/united-states-v-jordan/https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6378803/united-states-v-siers-hill/ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6293428/united-states-v-gibbs/ Melissa Abbes, Marc Montana, Christophe Curti, Patrice Vanelle. Ricin poisoning: A review on contamination source, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and reporting of ricin poisoning. Toxicon, Volume 195, 2021Tucker, Jonathan B. “Dilemmas of a Dual-Use Technology: Toxins in Medicine and Warfare.” Politics and the Life Sciences, vol. 13, no. 1, 1994, pp. 51–62Bergen, Peter, et al. “Key Trends in Terrorism.” Terrorism in America 18 Years After 9/11, New America, 2019, pp. 45–50Leo J. Schep, Wayne A. Temple, Grant A. Butt, Michael D. Beasley. Ricin as a weapon of mass terror — Separating fact from fiction. Environment International, Volume 35, Issue 8, 2009https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/15/us/ricin-terrorism-plot-sentencing.htmlhttps://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/cfrhttps://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/uscode https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/744 https://thebulletin.org/2013/06/barely-lethal/https://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=6020875&page=1https://slate.com/technology/2012/01/white-powder-hoaxes-a-trend-in-fake-terrorism.htmlhttps://www.justice.gov/archive/tax/usaopress/2002/txdv02091.htmlhttps://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-49434687https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/sep/22/woman-poison-plot-mother-breaking-bad-courthttps://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/breaking-bad-inspired-georgetown-student-charged-ricinhttps://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-34288380USAMRIID’s MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF BIOLOGICAL CASUALTIES HANDBOOK, Ninth Editionhttps://usamriid.health.mil/assets/docs/training/USAMRIIDs_Blue_Book_9th_edition_PDF_format.pdfSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.