A 6-year-old was hospitalized Friday after eating drug-laced candy at a North Carolina restaurant.
Catherine Buttereit thought she bought her son freeze-dried Skittles before he consumed what was actually 13 times an adult dosage of Delta-9 edibles, according to the New York Post.
“He was in excruciating pain,” Buttereit told the outlet.
6-year-old hospitalized after store sells Delta-9 THC candy to unwitting family: ‘He was in excruciating pain’ https://t.co/1VJndBZhkj pic.twitter.com/L6ieojsGaT
— New York Post (@nypost) January 13, 2024
The young boy consumed nearly 40 drug-laced pieces of candy, which quickly caused him burning pelvic pain, a freezing sensation in his chest, head pain and a stomach ache while playing duckpin with family members, according to the outlet. Other family members, including Buttereit’s fiancé, his parents and other children ate the THC-laced treat without being affected. However, they each had only one or two pieces.
“But he didn’t exhibit symptoms of my child that was actually in pain. He kind of had like a smirk on his face,” Buttereit’s mother said.
Buttereit’s son wanted to try what he assumed was a crunchy version of Skittles since he discovered it on YouTube, according to the outlet. Buttereit allowed him to try the candy at the Common Market in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood. (RELATED: North Carolina Seizes $170,000 Worth Of Drug-Laced Candy, Snacks Ahead Of Halloween)
“I said, ‘Of course yeah, that looks cool. Let’s try it.’ And he handed me the bag and I hand it to the cashier, she punched it in and we finished up the transaction,” the mother said. “I was never asked for an ID. I was never informed of what I was purchasing.”
Buttereit’s fiancé read the candy’s ingredients and discovered it contained Delta-9, a primary psychoactive part of the cannabis sativa plant, according to the outlet. Doctors told the mother that they were uncertain of its long-term affects on children.
“He said it’s marijuana pot and three pieces was an adult side serving,” Buttereit said. “So by that point, he had consumed about a third of the package, which is about 30 to 40 pieces they estimated in the hospital.”
The child, who weighs about 40 pounds, slept for 17 hours in the hospital before he was discharged, the outlet reported. He slept more when he returned home.