7-Year-Old in Pickens County Hospitalized after Consuming Legal Drug Mistaken for Candy

Pickens County 7-year-old hospitalized after consuming drug disguised as candy

In a recent unfortunate incident in Pickens County, Georgia, a seven-year-old boy was hospitalized after mistakenly consuming a drug, commonly known as delta-8, disguised as candy. This THC variant is legal for users above 21, but can potentially be fatal for young children.

Hannah Puddick, the boy’s mother, shares that her son, Bryce, was hospitalized following the incident. She recalls her son apologizing to her, claming he believed the substance to be candy. According to reports, Bryce consumed the drug after receiving it from another student at Hill City Elementary school.

Incident prompts school’s response

Upon Bryce’s hospitalization, the school sent out an email to parents, encouraging them to discuss the dangers of accepting ‘candy’ from other students with their children. The school emphasizes the need for greater vigilance and awareness to prevent incidents of this kind in the future.

Following Bryce’s sickness, three other boys from the school vomited, with no immediate knowledge of what had caused their illness. The speculations ranged from a busted bean bag during PE to unexplained lethargy before the true cause was discovered.

The aftermath of the incident

As Bryce lay in the hospital, recovering from the adverse effects, the school found that one of the students had been carrying a substance that closely resembled kids’ candy. Interestingly, this ‘candy’ turned out to be delta-8, a compound found in cannabis, and often synthesized from CBD to produce edibles, such as brownies.

According to the FDA, poison control centers throughout the U.S. reported over a thousand adverse delta-8 exposure cases between 2021 and 2022. Nearly half these cases involved minors, out of which, one resulted in a fatality, underlying the dangerous situation that such exposure can lead to.

Puddick urges the parents to keep such substances out of reach of children, and if available, to clearly communicate that it’s not a shareable candy. She also suggests safekeeping options like a $25 safe from Walmart, concluding that it is far cheaper than a funeral expense.

Bryce’s recovery and school’s response

Bryce, thankfully, has recovered and resumed school, with his mother having had serious conversations with him about accepting candy from other children. In response to this incident, the school district has reemphasized the need for parents and children to understand the gravity of sharing food and candies among themselves.