Thirteen students at La Sainte Union Catholic School in London have been taken to hospital after consuming sweets laced with THC.
The sweets were brought into school by an unnamed student who shared them with her friends. A parent told the media that the sweets were made to look like regular gummi bears.
The children consumed the cannabis candy shortly before lunch on October 5th.
Within a few minutes of returning to class, several of the girls began to feel dizzy while others vomited. At 11.44 am, teachers called the London Ambulance Service.
The scene was attended by a clinical team leader, five ambulance crews, medics in cars and incident response officers. As a precaution, all thirteen children were taken to hospital. The London Metropolitan Police confirmed that no one is believed to be seriously unwell.
Although police are still investigating the incident, no arrests have been made and the Highgate Road school was not evacuated.
Scotland Yard confirmed on Monday that the sweets were laced with THC – a psychoactive component found in cannabis. The concentration of THC in the gummi bears is currently unknown, but other edible sweets seized by police in London have been found to contain between 75mg and 300mg THC.
The sale of recreational cannabis, including THC-laced edibles, is illegal in the UK. It is unclear if the children knew they were eating cannabis candy. A schoolchild told the DailyMail that the infused-candy is popular among London teenagers.
They’re very easy to get hold of and they’re very cheap. If they buy them on the internet, they’re delivered to your house.
A school spokesperson confirmed that some of the students returned to school on Tuesday while others are still recovering. La Sainte Union catholic school is over 159 years old with a prestigious heritage.