A six-year old boy was hospitalized for 13 times the adult dose of candy laced with THC, purchased in a North Carolina shop.
Catherine Buttereit said that she bought Skittles thinking it was Skittles. They were Delta-9 edibles, and her son ate about 40 pieces.
Buttereit said in an interview with the New York Post that Buttereit was in “excruciating pain”.
Mom said that the family had lunch at The Common Market, a convenience store in Charlotte’s South End, which was advertised as an “unusual convenience store”.
NORTH CAROLINA OFFICIALS SEIZE $170K OF THC-INFUSED SNACKS, CANDY PACKAGED USING COUNTERFEITED BRANDS
Catherine Buttereit reported that her son, aged six, spent six hours at the hospital after he had overdosed on Delta-9 edibles bought from The Common Market in Charlotte in North Carolina. (Google Maps/Google Street View).
Buttereit was ready to pay at the counter when her son spotted what he believed were freeze-dried Skittles.
The boy asked his mother to buy him the candy he learned about in a video.
“I said ‘Ofcourse yeah, that looks awesome. Let’s do it. He handed me the bag and I gave it to the cashier. She punched it in, and we completed the transaction.
It wasn’t Skittles, but a bag filled with Delta-9 edibles from The Plug Distribution.
“I never had to show my ID.” “I was never told what I was buying,” the mother said to The Post.
MARIJUANA WITH HIGH THC LEVELS LINKED TO ADDICTION, PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS, STUDY FINDS
The packaging of THC edibles contains markings that indicate that the snacks or candy contain THC. However, North Carolina Secretary Elaine F. Marshall said that these markings can be deceptive and easily overlooked.
Buttereit, her son and the other family members were with Buttereit’s fiancee and his parents. All of them ate one or two pieces and felt nothing strange.
The six-year old ate as many as forty. The mother reported that he began to behave strangely shortly afterward and complained of his pelvic area burning, chest freezing, head pain and stomach feeling upset.
“But he did not exhibit symptoms of a child who was in pain.” Buttereit told The Post that Buttereit’s son had a “smirk” on his face.
After her son said that the water she had given him tasted “disgusting,” she decided to dial 911, which she recognized was a sign of poisoning.
The fiance read the list of ingredients on the bag, and found that the candies contained Delta-9 THC. This chemical is present in hemp and cannabis plants and produces an intoxicating affect.
Buttereit stated that “he said it was marijuana pot, and three pieces were an adult-size portion.” By that time, Buttereit said, “he had already consumed about one third of the package. This is approximately 30 to 40 pieces.” He essentially consumed 13 times as much as an adult would, but he was a six-year-old weighing 40 pounds.
NIH STUDY FINDS YOUNG AMERICANS USING MORE MARIJUANA AND HALLUCINOGENIC DRUGS THAN EVER BEFORE
Buttereit, her son and others mistook Delta-9 edibles as freeze-dried Skittles. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Her son was in the emergency department for six hours. Buttereit was told by doctors that they were unsure of the long-term consequences for a child who consumed so much THC.
The Post reported that the boy had slept for 17 straight hours at the hospital before being allowed to return home. He slept more there.
Buttereit reported that the first thing Buttereit heard when Buttereit woke him up was “At least, it doesn’t hurt any more.”
North Carolina has been cracking down on products laced with THC sold as counterfeit brands of Skittles Airheads or Oreos.
In October, the North Carolina Secretary State stated that the packaging of the edibles contained markups that indicated that the snacks were pot-infused. However, children and teenagers could be misled and overlook the deceptive packaging.
Officials reported that many THC-laced snacks and candy were found in tobacco shops near high schools and colleges.
According to America’s Poison Centers reports of edible cannabis poisonings among children aged 12 and younger have increased by nearly 700% in the last year. In 2022 there will be 6,379 poison control center reports, up from 816 in 2018.
DEA WARNS GEORGIA TO CANCEL PLANS TO BECOME FIRST STATE TO ALLOW PHARMACIES TO SELL MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Buttereit purchased edibles for her son under the name King Canna Fried Zkittlez. The package says “300MG Delta 9”, and has a stamp that states it is only for people over 21.
After the incident, a spokesman from The Common Market in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood called Buttereit to discuss her concerns.
“To clarify, we sold this product to someone who was clearly older than 21. The product had a marijuana leaf on the front and a label that said ’21+.’ The product was consumed outside of our premises. Graham Worth said, “We no longer have or carry any candy with THC on stock.”
Our staff has been trained to inform the customer when purchasing [other THC containing products]. It is our policy to store these products behind the counter or in a fiberglass container for our staff to handle. Worth said that they had communicated this to all employees and managers in order to make sure it was done correctly. We have also enhanced the signage of these products outside the actual packaging to provide an extra safety precaution for customers that may not be able to see the labeling.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APP
Buttereit refused to be interviewed by Fox News Digital because her family had received “an immense amount of hatred, judgment, and harassment” after she told her story in the media.
She said, “I’m grateful for a news team that is trying to raise awareness about the dangers associated with these drugs being sold in the same way as candy to children.” This is a very serious issue that must be addressed.
Fox Business Sarah Rumpf Whitten contributed to the report.