CLEVELAND – 14 elementary school students as young as 5 got sick Monday after eating gummy bears containing marijuana, Cleveland police said.
Police officers along with EMS responded to Anton Grdina School about 1:45 p.m. after reports of students becoming ill.
Recommended Videos
Three 5-year-old girls, one 5-year-old boy, three 6-year-old boys, one 8-year-old boy and one 9-year-old boy were transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition, according to EMS. The parents of 5 other students who felt ill refused to have their children taken to the hospital.
Police said the students were given "marijuana gummy bears," but there have not yet been any test results to confirm this.
A Cleveland Metropolitan School District spokeswoman said three students were handing out the candy at lunch when aides noticed the odd wrapper.
A spokesperson for Children and Family Services told WEWS-TV that investigators were at the home of the student who brought the candy to school.
Principal Latosha Glass released the following statement:
As a precaution today, we called EMS to examine several students to determine whether gummy bears shared with them by other students during lunch may have been marijuana-laced. This precaution was taken because the packaging of the candy was not recognizable to us and appeared suspicious. The students involved were examined by medical staff and their parents were called. Although most of our students were not involved in this incident, and although we have not yet received a report on the candy itself, I am taking time to remind ALL parents and caregivers of the importance of keeping medicines and other items that may be harmful to children locked up. Thank you for the opportunity to use the incident today as a teachable moment for our school community of our shared responsibility to keep our students safe.