A handful of THC gummies caused quite a stir at a Louisiana prep school last week.
On Dec. 5, one student thought they were passing out some regular, everyday candy; instead, the gummies were laced with THC. What resulted from the scary mishap was four students in total ingesting the marijuana-infused edibles. The affected children ranged from 10-12 years old. Though one child was briefly hospitalized, all four were ultimately confirmed safe and well after the incident.
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The kid who wound up becoming an accidental drug dealer was 11 and, to no surprise, discovered the THC gummies at home and thought they would make for a sweet treat at the lunch table.
Officials wound up searching the child’s home and located even more drugs, including 1,300 grams of THC, multiple methamphetamine tablets, and drug paraphernalia, according to the St. John’s the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.
One adult was arrested after the search, presumably the child’s parent or guardian. Kerry Clofer faces four charges, including cruelty to a juvenile and multiple possession offenses. His bond has been set at $14,000.
Stories like this are not all that surprising, truth be told. With the accessibility of THC gummies along with the marketing and packaging of the products, it’s very easy for a child to believe the colorful confections are actually candy.
A similar situation popped up in Vermont not too long ago where elementary school children consumed edibles. The same thing in Chicago, Utah, and New Jersey.
So yeah, THC gummies looking identical to Sour Patch Kids or gummy worms probably isn’t the best marketing strategy. As of today, six states have banned the sale of similar products, including both of the Carolinas, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho.
