Parents, don't send brownies or treats with your kids to school, Pontiac superintendent says
PONTIAC, Mich. - You've probably read the stories that go viral. The ones where a kid accidentally brings their parent's brownies to school, and suddenly multiple kids are in the nurse's office.
"This is an issue that's on the horizon that we are very concerned about in our schools," said Kelley Williams, the superintendent of the Pontiac School District
It's a problem that's become a very local one for Pontiac schools in fact.
"We had two incidents where edibles came into the building and some students ingested them. We do not know if they were exposed intentional or experimentally," said Williams.
Pontiac school district discouraging students from bringing treats to school over THC concerns
After two separate incidents of kids ingesting treats laced with THC at school, the Pontiac School District is asking parents to avoid sending their children to school with home-baked snacks or prepackaged items. Worried about more potential events where kids over-ingest cannabis-laced treats, they're taking more measures to keep them away from school property.
Despite the ambiguity, Williams isn't interested in her district making the news for the wrong reasons anymore. With concerns over more unintended consequences in the future, the district's administration is encouraging kids and parents to not bring treats like brownies and gummies to school. Because sweet foods laced with cannabis, sometimes referred to as edibles, are often mistaken for harmless sugar-filled food.
In response to the increased concern, the Superintendent of the Pontiac School District is now taking action, first by sending a letter to families in the district.
"Your child may be subjected to a search if our police authorities or the sheriff's department feels that any products entering the school may have this THC in them," said Williams. "If you bring these products into school you will be suspended or possible expulsion."
When a young person consumes something like candy laced with THC, it's likely they don't feel the effects immediately. So they continue eating more of the candy.
"Oftentimes, that becomes an issue where they don't feel anything so they continue to ingest and by then, they've already overdosed," said Dr. Harrison Tong, chief of staff at McLaren in Oakland. "Often the THC content is much higher in edibles."
Doctors also add that a young person consuming an edible could experience sleepiness and hallucinations.
"I think when the marijuana was legalized. it wasn't really thought through. We have to bring some type of resolve to this issue because it will impact our youth," said Williams.