Grandmother: 3-year-old twins accidentally ate THC gummies; Wake deputies investigating
A local grandmother on Monday admitted her 3-year-old twin granddaughters accidentally ate THC gummies on Sunday.
Wake County deputies on Sunday responded to 965 Dr. Calvin Jones Highway in Wake Forest, where EMS was treating two children.
According to deputies, the incident happened in the 1020 block of Fairlong Road, and the children and a family member were en route to the hospital when EMS met them.
The grandmother told WRAL News that the girls didn’t lose consciousness, but the car they were in broke down while they were on the way to the hospital.
When asked to clarify what prompted her to head to the hospital, the grandmother said the children ate gummies that had THC in them.
The children had non-life-threatening injuries.
Dr. Mike Steiner, pediatrician in chief at UNC Children’s Hospital, said toddlers getting a hold of THC gummies is becoming alarmingly too common over the last "six or seven years” as legalization expands.
“This is an increasing problem we are seeing in health care: young children ingesting THC edibles,” Steiner said. “This year, 3,000 to 4,000 under the age of 6 will unintentionally ingest THC gummies.”
Steiner added approximately 10% of those children will end up in the ICU with "depressed sensorium."
“The most common [side effect] is [becoming] overly sleepy and hard to wake up,” he explained. “It can be very dangerous and alarming.”
As of Monday afternoon, there are no charges, and official toxicology results will arrive in “a few weeks,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The Wake County Sheriff's Office did not share any additional information.
