Authorities: 2 children at Port Reading school become sickened after ingesting marijuana gummies
The New Jersey Poison Center says it dealt with 140 cases of kids eating marijuana-infused gummies last year.
More Stories
Two children became ill after ingesting cannabis gummies, according to officials. This time it’s a student from Port Reading School 9 who was given the gummy by a classmate at school.
The child, who got her hands on one of those cannabis candies, is an 8-year-old. Her parents say she ingested one of the gummies and so did her 9-year-old brother, before both had to go to the hospital.
Cannabis gummies can be similar or even identical to harmless gummies that kids like to eat, sometimes by the handful. And that’s causing a major health concern. The New Jersey Poison Center says it dealt with 140 cases of kids eating marijuana-infused gummies last year.
Bruce Ruck is the managing director of the New Jersey Poison Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
“They need to be treated like any other medication or chemical you have around the house. They need to be locked away. They need to be kept away,” he says.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the situation in Port Reading.
Superintendent Joseph Massimino acknowledged the incident by saying, “We are working closely with law enforcement to provide as much assistance as possible on the incident in question. Our children’s health and safety is our top priority.”
Children who ingest cannabis have, in some cases, suffered from seizures, difficulty breathing and loss of coordination. Because they look, feel and taste like candy, children may eat a lot.
“When they come in a package of 10 or 20, we run into big problems and we can see children eating a tremendous amount of marijuana because they don’t know what they’re eating,” says Ruck.
Ruck says the New Jersey Poison Center is handing out lockable bags, also known as medication bags, as an easy way for parents to avoid and emergencies.
