THREE EAST TN PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED AFTER EATING GUMMIES LACED WITH THC

THC gummies 16x9_1459789177416_1373039_ver1.0(MARYVILLE) A 24-year-old man and two teenage girls were hospitalized Sunday after eating candy which contained high levels of THC, an active compound of marijuana.

According to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, a 15-year-old boy brought two packages of “Dank Grasshopper” Gummies to the Hickory Valley Baptist Church in Friendsville.

The boy who brought the gummies has a mental disability, according to investigators.

They’re trying to figure out where he initially got the gummies.  The packaging was labeled “THC 900Mg – 2 Gummies/450 Mg per Gummy.”

The boy then gave one package to another 15-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man. The 15-year-old opened the package, but didn’t eat any, officials say.

The 24-year-old ate some of the gummies then gave the rest to a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl.

Investigators said all three had negative reactions to the substance including seizures, hallucinations and vomiting.

The average amount of THC in one rolled marijuana cigarette – or joint, officials said, is about 35 mg. Each of the gummies contained 450 mg of THC and each person ate three, officials said, meaning they each ingested nearly 40 times the amount of THC found in one entire joint.

As of Monday afternoon, the 15-year-old girl was in the ICU and the other girl is also recovering at Children’s Hospital in Knoxville.

The 24-year-old victim was treated and released from the hospital.

Pastor Charlie Carpenter at Hickory Valley Baptist Church said everybody involved in the incident is connected to the church. He said it happened after Sunday services, as the teens were heading to the church’s buses to travel home.