Latest news with #WilliamFloydMiddleSchool
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
11 New York middle schoolers sickened after taking THC gummies, a growing problem
A student at a New York middle school gave marijuana gummies to at least a dozen classmates this week, sending nearly all of them to the hospital, police and the school district said. The 13- and 14-year-old students were sickened Monday morning at William Floyd Middle School in Moriches, New York, the Suffolk County Police Department said in a statement. Eleven of the students were taken to the hospital and one was released into the custody of a parent, James Montalto, a spokesperson for the school district, said in a statement to USA TODAY. "While we cannot discuss student discipline publicly due to privacy laws, we take this matter seriously and there will be appropriate consequences," Montalto said. "We will continue to build upon our anti-drug programs and also continue to host grade-level assemblies highlighting the dangers of all drug use including edible marijuana." It's not clear how the student obtained the edibles or whether they knew the gummies contained marijuana before sharing them. But similar incidents have happened in schools across the country and cases of children ingesting marijuana-laced treats have grown as more states have legalized the medical and recreational use of cannabis. List: In what states is weed legal? The number of children under the age of 6 who accidentally ate products laced cannabis rose from 207 cases in 2017 to 3,014 cases in 2021, according to a 2023 study published in the journal Pediatrics. More than half of the children were toddlers, ages 2 and 3, and the vast majority obtained the edibles at home, the study found. In California, at least two children were given THC-infused candy packaged like Starburst during a Halloween trick-or-treating event at Earhart Elementary School in October 2023. One of the elementary students was sickened and required medical attention, according to police. Two months later, an Iowa father was charged with multiple felonies after his 4-year-old son ate a chocolate bar containing THC and had to be treated at a hospital. Three students at a Florida middle school were hospitalized that same month after taking edibles laced with an unknown substance. Study: More kids are being treated for eating marijuana-laced gummies, other edibles at home Toxicologist and Emergency Medicine physician Dr. David Vearrier at the University of Mississippi Medical Center previously told the USA TODAY Network the side effects of marijuana edibles can be extremely dangerous in young children. "The most common side effects are mental status depression and sleepiness as well as decreased breathing in some cases," Vearrier said. "Sometimes acute agitation is a factor as well." Edibles made with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, can come in the form of gummies, chocolates, lollipops, drinks, chips, cookies and other baked goods. Because children often don't realize how potent each piece can be and they are smaller than adults, "a higher milligram/kilogram dose is ingested, which puts children at risk for increased toxicity from these exposures," the researchers behind the 2023 study said. Dope ropes, THC Doritos: Our patchwork pot laws and kids can pay the price, experts say A child might also easily mistake many of the products for a regular snack, Marit Tweet, an emergency medicine physician and medical toxicologist with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, said in a statement accompanying the study. The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent cease and desists letters in 2023 to six companies with marijuana products that resembled Doritos, Cheetos, gummy bears, and other candies with nearly identical packaging to the original brands, as they did in the California case. But, the FTC said all it can do is "strongly encourage sellers to review all of their marketing and product packaging." Meanwhile some states, including Illinois, require edible packaging to not appeal to children and restrict the total amount of THC allowed per package, Tweet previously told USA TODAY. Contributing: Emilee Coblentz, Natalie Neysa Alund and Mike Snider, USA TODAY; Joshua Williams, USA TODAY NETWORK This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 11 New York middle school students hospitalized after taking edibles
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
N.Y. Middle Schoolers Hospitalized After Ingesting THC Gummies: ‘It's Disturbing'
Nearly a dozen middle school students were hospitalized after consuming THC gummies while on their New York campus, school officials shared. On Monday, March 3, William Floyd Middle School confirmed the incident in a statement posted on the school's website. A student at the school 'handed out edible THC gummies to approximately 12 students, who have since fallen ill,' the statement said. Related: Mom Charged After Kindergartner Mistakenly Took THC Gummies to School, Leading to 4 Hospitalizations 'Eleven of the students have been transported to local hospitals for assistance and one has been released into the custody of a parent,' the statement added. 'We are grateful to our first responders for their quick response, thankful that the students will be treated and hopeful that they will recover quickly.' The school listed school nurses, Suffolk County Police Department and local EMTs as the first responders who assisted with the affected students. Related: 17 Middle School Students Ate Mysterious Gummy Bears Before Emergency Drug Overdose Call: Exclusive Details Officials with the Suffolk County Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The students who ingested the THC gummies were between the ages of 13 and 14 years old, NBC New York reported. Parents were shocked to learn what had happened. "You don't know where they got it from and what is mixed in there," Felicia Moore told CBS News. "My daughter texted me when it happened and said they were in a lockdown." "It's disturbing,' Peter Giannetto said, adding, 'my son is in 3rd grade.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. According to the Long Island Press, the Suffolk County Police Department will not be pressing charges, stating 'discipline will be handled at the school level.' 'There is no additional information being released on where the gummies came from,' police reportedly said. Read the original article on People
