High School Students Fall Sick After Eating Pot Brownies

Five California high school students got sick after eating marijuana brownies they bought at school, authorities said.

A 17-year-old senior at a Richmond, Cal., high school allegedly sold pot brownies to other students Sept. 4 at De Anza High School. She charged $3 per brownie or $5 for two.

Five younger students, between 14 and 16 years old, ate the brownies and became sick, officials said. Richmond Police Capt. Mark Gagan said two of the students were hospitalized after losing consciousness, though they came to at the hospital. They were listed in serious but stable condition Sept. 5.

The other three students were treated at the school for nausea and vomiting and then released.

The student who sold the brownies was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and selling drugs on campus. She was held at the city’s juvenile detention center. Police weren’t sure whether she made the brownies herself or got them from someone else.

The incident is one of an increasing number of cases in which teenagers or children have fallen ill after eating marijuana food. Colorado, for example, has reported a spike in emergency room admissions of children suffering from THC overdose.

But the problem is sometimes overblown. The increase has been relatively small, and the overall number of children affected is tiny.

Edibles are often packed with large amounts of weed, and they aren’t always evenly portioned, so a bite from one part of a brownie could pack a much bigger punch than a bite from another part.

There have also been several similar incidents involving pot in public schools, but they are still few and far between. Earlier this year, three third graders in Sonora, Cal., were caught trying unsuccessfully to smoke up in a boy’s bathroom.

Recent studies suggest marijuana use by adolescents is on the rise, but only slightly. At the same time, fewer students are drinking alcohol or using hard drugs. Not to mention the fact that prescription drug abuse is a much bigger issue. Less than 7 percent of high school students smoke pot, while 24 percent have abused a prescription drug.