Just after 1:30 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2024, Tampa Police responded to a call from New Springs Charter School, located at 2410 E Busch Blvd. School staff reported that several children reportedly became sick after eating candy.
Employees of the school found a clear cylindrical container, with no label or markings, that contained two pieces of what resembled “Nerds” brand candies, sometimes legally sold as Delta-9 THC products in Florida.
Eleven children, all between the ages of nine and eleven, reported symptoms including dizziness, nausea, lethargy, and numbness in their legs and arms. The commonality shared by the students was that each of them had eaten some candy. All the students were picked up by their parents. Three were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation as a precaution. Thankfully, there were no reported serious injuries to any of the students.
While early in this investigation, it is believed one of the students may have brought the candy to school. Detectives continue working to determine the origin of the candy, who brought it to the school, and how it ended up in the possession of the children.
Here are some safety tips to help keep children safer:
- Teach your kids to always ask you, or a trusted adult, before eating anything they find, especially if it's not in a familiar location.
- Have an age-appropriate discussion with your children. If they are old enough to understand, explain that some items that look like everyday candy might contain ingredients that could make them sick.
- If you believe your child may have ingested THC-infused items, contact Poison Control by calling 800.222.1222 or contact your child’s medical provider.