Canabis infused gummies believed to have sickened kids at Lauderhill Boys & Girls Club
FORT LAUDERDALE - Several children were rushed to the hospital on Wednesday after eating candy that made them really sick at the Boys & Girls Club in Lauderhill.
Lauderhill police said they went to the club, at 5455 N.W. 19th Street, three times between 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. in response to children eating candy infused with an "unknown substance."
All 8 children are back home tonight after medical treatment. Police said the kids are expected to recover with no threat to their health.
A spokesman for the Boys & Girls Club said all of the children were between six and eight years old. According to a club spokesman "…all indications are that a young Club member brought a package of cannabis-infused gummy candies into the Club after school." The statement goes on to say, "That individual proceeded to share the contents of that package with other members."
Dr. Heidi Cohen is the Medical Director for the ER at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.
"Often times Children find them in the home. They bring them to school to share with their friends, then all the children who consume them become intoxicated," Dr. Cohen said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports there were 207 cases of kids under 6 ingesting edible cannabis in 2017 then shot up to 3,054 by 2021 — an increase of more than 1,375%.
"They need to be put away, like all other medicines, like Tylenol, Motrin, all the other medicines that are in the home need to be kept out of the reach of children's hands," she said.
Dr. Cohen tells parents to talk to their kids. "If it's just a loose gummy, you don't know what you're getting. I wouldn't do a loose cookie, I wouldn't do a loose brownie, I wouldn't do a loose gummy because you really don't know what you're getting," Dr. Cohen stressed.
In a statement, the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County said, "The safety and protection of the young people we serve is always our absolute highest priority, and we take any situation that might impact their well-being very seriously. Our commitment to our Club youth, their families, and our community is unwavering."
On Thursday evening, the Lauderhill Police Department released the following statement regarding the incident:
"Preliminary investigation has revealed that an identified juvenile brought the candy to the Boys & Girls Club. The packaging on the candy contained the verbiage of "Cannabis Infused" and "For Medical Use Only". The candy has not yet been tested for the presence of THC, therefore we are still unable to confirm what substance the candy was potentially infused with."
"The investigation into this incident is pending. There is currently no pending charges in regards to this incident."
"All information is preliminary and subject to change."