Over 60 pupils hospitalized after eating candy made with weed

More than 60 schoolchildren in Jamaica were rushed to the hospital on Wednesday after consuming candy laced with cannabis, the country’s education minister said.

The Country’s Education amd Youth Minister, Fayval Williams wrote on her X handle that the primary students came from St. Ann’s Bay, about 80 kilometers from Kingston, the capital of the country.

She said some of the children were vomiting and having nightmares, adding that no child was reported to be in a serious condition.

“The doctors and nurses are doing everything they can to make sure the students recover,” Williams said.

The children are believed to be between the ages of 12 and under.

The principal of Ocho Rios Primary School told the Jamaica Observer that a “candy seller sold the candy to the students.”

St. Ann Police Chief Dwight Powell asked anyone with information about the candy seller to contact authorities.

The packaging stated the product contained Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis sativa plant, which includes both marijuana and hemp varieties.

It has “psychoactive and intoxicating effects,” according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The minister also included a photo of the candy package showing a government warning on the back stating”keep out of reach of children” and “not intended for use by anyone under 21 years of age.”

The packaging stated the product was not approved by the FDA.

Jamaica decriminalized cannabis for people over 18 in 2015, with possession of 2 ounces (56 grams) or less downgraded to a petty offense.