What started off as a sweet, fun party for many, almost ended in what could have been an unfortunate tragedy, as marijuana-laced gummy candy caused 19 people to get sick at a quinceañera in San Francisco, with most of the victims being children.
According to the LA Times, the affected party-goers presented signs and symptoms comparable to those who have ingested weed edibles: lethargy, high blood pressure, dizziness, confusion and nausea. More than 68% of the people affected were 18 years old or younger.
The party took place at the Women’s Building in the Mission District of San Francisco and officials are now investigating the catering company to make sure they, or anyone who assisted the party didn't provide the weed edibles intentionally.
Dr. Thomas Argon, a health officer in San Francisco stated, “If these candies are confirmed as edible marijuana, then this event is a strong warning about the dangers of edibles, which can be very potent and hard to control in dosage in the best circumstances.” Argon added, “A situation like this, where they were consumed by unsuspecting people — and many children — is greatly concerning.”
Dr. Tomas Aragon just confirmed gummy candies tested positive for THC in addition to blood tests in 12 patients pic.twitter.com/MgnIE3bgPY
— Melanie Woodrow (@MelanieWoodrow) August 8, 2016
The candies were tested and it was later confirmed that they did, in fact, contain THC, which is the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
"We want to make sure from this perspective this wasn't an intentional act by the caterer or anyone who attended the party," SFPD Ofc. Grace Gatpandan said.
.@SFPD does not yet know if candies were intentionally brought in to harm children pic.twitter.com/10ZEyBePf4
— Melanie Woodrow (@MelanieWoodrow) August 8, 2016
In the last couple of years, with the ongoing discussion of the legalization of marijuana throughout various states, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released several reports on the potential dangers of the consumption of marijuana-infused edibles.
As of now the San Francisco Police Department has not released the catering company’s name and are proceeding with further investigation.
