Multiple Medical Emergencies At 4/20 Event In Golden Gate Park
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The smoke cleared from Hippie Hill in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park but the annual 4/20 celebration of cannabis has landed a handful of people in the hospital.
About a dozen people were taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The San Francisco police department is investigating the possibility that those transported ingested edibles that contained more than marijuana. Although the city banned the selling of goods, it didn't stop many, like Jimmy Barnett, from selling their products.
"I have cereal bars," said Barnett, who told KPIX he made the bars with "canna-butter."
There's concern, however, that someone selling edibles may have led to the hospitalizations.
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KPIX 5 reporter Emily Turner saw one patient being revived with Narcan, a drug used to treat victims who have overdosed on opioids, at the location where ambulances had converged in the park near Children's Playground in Golden Gate Park.
Raw Video: Ambulances Needed At 4/20 Event In San Francisco
While police could not confirm the condition of the patients who were transported or what hospitals they were taken to, a KPIX reporter saw that three of the four appeared to be sitting up and speaking coherently with paramedics.
SF Fire dispatch said that St. Mary's Hospital, CPMC Davies Medical Center and UCSF all received transported patients.
Rec and Park officials said one patient refused treatment.
"I did see goods being presented, however I did not partake of any," said Sherri Forrest, who attended the event, but stayed away from edibles for "safety reasons," she explained. Not only did Forrest stay away from edibles, she also stuck around to clean up what was left behind by others. "From what I read, it has been a disaster, so we hoped to limit that," she said.
San Francisco officials initially expected at least 15,000 people to assemble in time for the 4:20 p.m. smoke. Rec and Park officials estimated that the final crowd size was closer to 20,000.
Despite the medical emergencies, as of about 4:30 p.m., no arrests had been reported.
