Cases of poisoning related to Rajneesh were carried out by Rajneesh's own sannyasins in 1984. A sannyasin is an initiated disciple, one who takes sannyas. There were 751 poison victims, including women and small children, at ten different restaurants in the small city of The Dalles, Oregon. Rajneesh sannyasins attempted to take over the Wasco County Commission by making so many people ill on election day that they could elect their own sannyasin candidates .

Rajneesh disciples poisoned salad bars with salmonella bacteria, which was mixed into salad dressings, fruits and vegetables, and the restaurants' coffee creamers. Forty-five people became so ill they had to be hospitalized, thus making the case the largest germ warfare attack in United States history. Sannyasins were later suspected of trying to kill a Wasco County executive by spiking his water with an unknown poison. Michael Sullivan, a Jefferson County District Attorney, also became ill after leaving a cup of coffee unattended as Rajneesh sannyasins roamed the courthouse. Rajneesh never bothered to apologize to any of the people who were poisoned by his own trusted disciples.