A BBC presenter was unable to finish a serious report about drugs after he stood too close too a burning pile of heroin and cannabis. Quentin Sommerville, the corporation’s Middle East correspondent, got the giggles when he was trying to explain the significance of the scene.
He posted the video to YouTube with the headline “don’t inhale”, as a Christmas present to his viewers. He wrote: “Dear tweeps, it’s been a year of bullets & bloodshed. You’ve earned a xmas laugh, at my expense.”
Sommerville was trying to say: “Burning behind me is eight and a half tonnes of heroin, opium, hashish and other narcotics.” However, he kept having to stop due to laughter, suggesting that the smoke may have taken its toll on the normally serious journalist. His cameraman proved to be little help, as he kept laughing as well.
It is not clear when the footage was filmed, or the location, but it is believed that Sommerville was an accidental drug user after he got too close to the ‘blue haze’. It is likely his giggles came from the weed smoke, rather than the heroin.
A recent study discovered smoking weed increases the blood flow to the right frontal and left temporal lobes as well as the cerebellum. This is believed to be why mundane daily activities can seem hilarious after inhaling the smoke. In contrast heroin creates a sense of euphoria, and ultimately causes the user to sleep.
Whatever the exact reason for the giggles it is clear that he had a good time. Being based in the Middle East he probably does not have that many opportunities to have a MERRY Christmas, so perhaps it’s only fair he got ‘smacked up and monged out’ instead! Everyone deserves a bit of escapism from time to time.