Kindergarteners Hospitalized From Edibles Brought In To School
A number of kindergarteners were hospitalized after ingesting marijuana edibles inside a kindergarten classroom.
Marijuana is now legal for recreational use in 18 states. On top of that, 16 more might soon be joining the crew. More than ever, advocates for the psychoactive drug are leading the way to push the plant to complete federal legalization, despite some critics’ concerns. Oftentimes, those worries are felt through cases of young children gaining access to the drug, much like what happened recently when young children consumed marijuana edibles inside a Michigan school.
According to The New York Post, four children inside a Kindergarten classroom at Edgerton Elementary School in Clio, Michigan were given marijuana edibles to eat. The child who brought them in nabbed the THC-infused candies from their mother, who allegedly left them out in the open for her young child to access. Following the incident, some of the exposed children had to be hospitalized, according to authorities.
The mother, who is not yet being identified, is charged with second-degree child abuse and is set to be arraigned sometime this week. Reports say that she purchased a jar of concentrated THC oil which she used to make the marijuana edibles in form of gelatin gummies. The homemade weed candies were packed inside a Life Savers Gummies wrapper and left out in the open in her home. Recreational marijuana has been legalized in Michigan since 2018.
Police reports say that after the child brought the marijuana edibles to class, 24 kindergarteners consumed them. Four of them appeared extremely sick, and were taken to the hospital. Each gummy contained around 30 milligrams of THC oil, which is considered a substantial amount even for those adults who consume the drug on a regular basis.
In less than a half hour, the report alleges that some of the young children were unconscious. Others were short of breath and/or lethargic from the marijuana edibles. The school even needed to be evacuated. To all of this, a troubled local sheriff of Genesee County said, “How did we get here?”
As for the children that were hospitalized, all are said to have recovered and be back inside the classroom this week. Three of them were released after one overnight stay, while the fourth went home sometime Sunday. As for the mother, she faces an investigation from Child Protective Services and may be faced with up to 10 years of time in prison if charged for the marijuana edibles incident.
In a statement, authorities noted that the school incident was likely a mistake by the parent, but nonetheless, it has outraged many. Cases like this are becoming an increasing norm. Just a few weeks ago, a daycare provider was charged after her young toddlers ate THC-laced goldfish crackers. And with New York recently legalizing recreational marijuana, reports of street peddlers hawking candy-like marijuana packages to young students outside of school have become an everyday issue. Marijuana edibles might now be easier to access than ever before.
Still, the debate rages on whether or not legalizing the drug actually will cause further issues among minor- usage. Some studies show that states that legalize marijuana notice a small uptick in usage among teenagers, while others say that the usage among teens actually drops in states where it has been legalized. Regardless, any form of the drug, especially in THC-infused marijuana gummies, can be extremely dangerous when consumed by children as young as those inside the Michigan kindergarten classroom.
