Blount Co. Sheriff: Two teens in hospital after overdose on THC-laced candy

FRIENDSVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) — While at church, three teens tried gummies laced with drugs, later overdosed, and were rushed to the hospital, according to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office.

The drug was THC, the active chemical in marijuana, disguised in a gummy form.

While they might look like candy, they’re extremely potent. Each gummy holds 450 milligrams of THC; officers said it’s 30 times the potency of a joint.

“The gummies were ordered and/or obtained over the internet from another state,” said Ron Talbott, Deputy Chief of Investigations for the Blount County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Talbott, a lot of THC products, including marijuana, are being transported from state to state in cars, even through the mail from states that have legalized marijuana use.

Officers said a 15-year-old boy with mental disabilities brought two packages of a candy, one called “Dank Grasshopper,” to Hickory Valley Baptist Church in Friendsville. The teen gave a package to another 15-year-old boy, who smelled it and put it in his backpack. The second package was given to a 24-year-old. He and two female teens tried three pieces each and ended up in the hospital suffering from seizures, hallucinations and vomiting, according to Talbott.

This is the bag in evidence. No gummies were eaten out of it. There was a second bag that kids are out of. @wvlt pic.twitter.com/dJTnFIAZyI

— Heather Burian (@WVLTBurian) April 4, 2016

The 24-year-old has been treated and released from Blount Memorial Hospital, officers said. The 17-year-old and 15-year-old are at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital; the 15-year-old is in the ICU.

Talbott said it was confirmed the three had THC in their system; no other drugs have shown up at this time. The candy will be taken to the crime lab for testing.

Officers do not anticipate any charges. Talbott said they didn’t mean to cause any harm and the three who tried the gummies were just curious and experimenting.

“Long-term effects could affect your mental health and can cause depression, anxiety, there’s been reported cases of schizophrenia,” said Jessica Belitz about the affects of THC.

Belitz is with the Blount County Substance Abuse Prevention Action Team and works on prevention efforts in Blount County schools. She said teen’s substance use can lead to addiction.

“And it impairs their brain development. And it can impair their ability to learn and think in school,” Belitz said.

Messages and an email was left for Hickory Valley Baptist Church. A reporter even knocked on the church’s door, but no forms of contact were returned by the time this article was posted.

*Photo via WVLT