6-Year-Old Hospitalised After Consuming Cannabis Candy Instead Of Skittles By Mistake

In the United States, a young boy found himself in emergency care after consuming nearly 13 times the recommended adult dosage of THC-laced (Tetrahydrocannabinol) candy.

Representational Image/ Reuters

She thought she was buying fruit-flavored candy Skittles

The candy was mistakenly purchased by his mother, Catherine Buttereit, who believed she was buying a pack of the well-known fruit-flavored candy Skittles.

The incident occurred while the Buttereit family was having lunch in Charlotte's South End neighborhood in North Carolina. The boy spotted the bag of candy at a store and expressed his desire to buy it, leading his mother to make the purchase under the impression that it was a special edition pack of Skittles.

She told New York Post, “I said, “Of course yeah, that looks cool. Let’s try it.’ And he handed me the bag and I handed it to the cashier, she punched it in and we finished up the transaction. I was never asked for an ID. I was never informed of what I was purchasing.”

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The boy complained of discomfort shortly after consuming it

Shortly after consuming nearly one-third of the THC-laced candy, Catherine Buttereit's son began experiencing discomfort. He complained of pain in his pelvic area, mentioned that his chest felt cold, and expressed discomfort in his stomach and head.

Concerned about his well-being, Buttereit offered him water, but when he described the water as 'disgusting,' she became alarmed. In a state of panic, Buttereit promptly dialed 911, suspecting that her son might have been poisoned.

Upon examining the bag of candy, Buttereit's fiancé discovered that the candy was infused with Delta-9 THC, a variant of cannabis. After being admitted to the hospital, Buttereit's son slept for 17 hours before being discharged. The impact of overconsumption of Delta-9 THC on children remains unclear, despite its classification as a 'therapeutic' drug.

Convenience stores and hemp stores are permitted to sell Marijuana?

Marijuana is illegal in North Carolina, but convenience stores and hemp stores are permitted to sell Delta-9 THC products with a maximum content of 0.3 percent, without imposing age restrictions on sales. While many THC products carry warnings, Buttereit mentioned that the candy package she purchased had a warning in small lettering that was easy to overlook.? ? ??

She blamed the store for not informing her about candy and said, “I’m really just trying to bring awareness to other parents and caretakers that this extremely new drug product is available now in family-type settings where children are going to be, not only in exclusive vape-type shops anymore.” She added, “I completely accept my negligence as a parent. I made the mistake of not reading the package and I’m dealing with those consequences. But it was 50-50 negligence. That product was not in its proper storage place."

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