Group of 5th-graders hospitalized after eating gummies with ‘controlled substance’ at DC school

Eight Washington, DC, elementary school students were sickened Wednesday after eating gummies containing an “unidentified controlled substance.”

The fifth-graders at Key Elementary School became ill after a classmate shared the edibles with them, according to the Washington Post.

When their severe reactions prompted school officials to call paramedics, it was reportedly determined that their symptoms “aligned with ingestion of a controlled substance,” although it was unclear what the substance was.

All of the students received medical treatment at the scene and five of them were taken to the hospital in stable condition, according to the report.

It’s unclear how the child obtained the edibles.

The incident prompted local health officials to remind parents to tell their kids not to ingest unknown foods or substances, even if they come from friends.

The availability of legal and powerful edible cannabis products like cookies and gummies had given way to a 245% increase in calls to poison control centers about underage abuse between 2000 and 2020.

The District of Columbia legalized marijuana for people over 21 in 2015.