COLUMBIA, S.C. — Several students at a South Carolina middle school recently got sick after eating marijuana-infused candy that authorities say a child brought.
According to an incident report from the Richland County Sheriff's Department, several students at E.L Wright Middle School ate a gummy candy that came from a wrapping labeled cannabis-infused sour gummies. According to the report, several students said that they were high. The school said in a statement that the edibles were brought to school by a student.
Deputy Kamela Grant, a school resource officer in Richland County, said it's not uncommon for these edibles to look like regular candy at first glance.
“Most of these edibles are coming in the form of junk food, you know, what our kids love," Deputy Kalema Grant said. "So, you have your Oreo packages. They come in cookies, candies."
Deputy Grant said students should not take candy or any food products from their classmates.
“Any child selling candy or even asking another child to try a piece of candy would be questionable because they didn't see the packaging if they just handed them the candy, and it's in the form of something that they like, like candy and junk food," she said. "I would say for parents to encourage their children not to purchase anything from children on campus.”
Deputy Grant said it’s key to look for THC labels or words like “stoney.”
“Because it comes in the form of a sweet treat, sometimes, that can lead to overconsumption, and that can cause them to maybe, you know, when you eat some cookies, you eat about three or four or five; you don't eat, you know, just one or two," she said. "So that can also add to the reaction from the drug-infused inside of the cookie or candy.”
Dr. Jill Michels with the Palmetto Poison Center said parents should look for certain signs if they believe their child may have taken an edible.
“We tend to see in children and even teenagers as well - some adults - you get really over-sedated, you don't think clearly, you might be very unsteady on your feet," she said. "And so, for kids, they can get so sedated, we do recommend hospital referral, because sometimes they're so sedated that are not eating or not drinking, so they may need I.V. fluids. They need their blood pressure and heart rate monitored while they're there."
Dr. Michels said this is something they see often.
"There were over 300 calls in just last year, and this year we've had over 200, so almost one a day where we're getting calls on edibles, and most of them do involve small children," she said. "But even up to teenagers and also adults.”
School resource officers recommend checking in with your kids
"Be in your kids' business -- the things that they have in their book bags -- because looking at it really quick, it would look just like a normal candy package," Deputy Grant said. "I would take it, and I would look at it, and I would examine it. Just kind of be really aware of what my child is bringing home."
Parents who believe their child has taken an edible can call the Palmetto Poison Center for immediate help with the next steps they should take.