Naperville North High School near Chicago, Illinois was under alert when 14 students were taken to the emergency room after eating gummy bears laced with marijuana. The students say they ate gummy bears that were allegedly supplied by a classmate.
Students initially suspected that the gummies were laced with some kind of drug. All 14 students were taken and admitted to the emergency room at Edward Hospital. The students reported an accelerated heartbeat, dizziness and agitation. At least 12 students had confirmed eating the gummy bears, the school district posted on Facebook. Two students stayed several hours for analysis and the rest of the students were released that afternoon.
"Our ER physicians suspect it was marijuana that caused the students' symptoms," hospital spokesman Keith Hartenberger told CNN. "However, confirmation that the substance was marijuana would have to come from the Naperville Police Department — they were going to do the official testing," Hartenberger said.
Lab testing is currently underway. As of Wednesday, Naperville police Cmdr. Jason Arres stated that police "cannot confirm what the gummies were laced with, if anything, until we receive the results (of analysis) from the crime lab." On Tuesday, a 17-year-old boy was taken into custody for his alleged involvement in the incident, but later released without charge. The boy could be subject to criminal charges later on with further developments.
Unintentionally taking marijuana edibles, as you should already know, can produce far different effects than when you're mentally prepared to take it recreationally.
Like most high schools, Naperville North High School has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to marijuana and any other drugs. In 2013, the school district considered launching random drug testing when they reviewed the district's co-curricular code. Ultimately, the district decided to rather focus on drug education and prevention.
