School Shares Warning With Parents After Fifth-Graders Accidentally Consume Marijuana Gummies

"Nope, that is not candy." After an innocent 9-year-old girl got ahold of her grandfather's "candy," she did what most fifth-graders would do and brought the sweets to school to share with her friends. But when five students reportedly started feeling sick and "giggly," the administrators realized it wasn't a handful of Haribo gummy bears she was handing out to peers; it was Grandpa's medical marijuana edibles made with THC.

Kristi Del Curto, the dean of elementary students at the Albuquerque School of Excellence, told the Albuquerque Journal that the student thought it was a stomach bug, but the school nurse soon realized the edibles were to blame. "She told the nurse that she was feeling sick and was very dizzy and that she thought she had food poisoning from something she ate in the cafeteria," Del Curto said. "The nurse asked her what else she had eaten, and she said gummies. We asked to see the box, which had been tossed in the trash after it was empty." She added, "And as soon as we looked at it, we said, 'Nope, that is not candy.'"

While some of the students did not feel any different after consuming the THC-based candy, the school still took action. It contacted the parents, paramedics, and police officials, who took a full report. All five of the students are back in school and feeling totally normal, but Del Curto realizes how lucky they are and turned it into a teaching moment for the students and staff.

The elementary school's administrators have spoken out on Facebook since the incident, urging parents and other family members to be incredibly cautious about these products being left out at home. As medical marijuana becomes legalized in more states, it's important for parents to keep these products away from children, especially ones that may look like regular sweets.