About 30 St. Luke Methodist Primary School students, as well as several adults, were hospitalized at the KHMH after consuming marijuana-laced candy.
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Apr. 26, 2023
Panic gripped the hearts of many parents and guardians of students at St. Luke Primary School in the Lake Independence area of Belize City after 31 of the school’s students, as young as 5-years old, and 7 adults began displaying symptoms such as dizziness, nervousness, vomiting and nausea, with some even collapsing, after ingesting what was later discovered to be marijuana-laced candies.
On Tuesday, April 25, sometime after midday, the students were rushed to the emergency ward of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) after consuming the laced candies. Before the horrific incident unfolded, some of the children had innocently purchased the sweets from vendors outside the school, who sold them for a dollar, while others had received them from family members who had purchased the sweets for them, and had consumed them during recess and at lunch break.
As parents arrived at the KHMH with their sick children and adult family members who also happened to taste some of these candies, the hospital’s Mass Casualty Code was put into effect, with extra staff members being called in and the side gates being pulled closed, in addition to the deployment of additional units to ensure care was provided to all the sick children.
“[At] approximately 1:30 [p.m.], we received an influx of a few children that were exhibiting symptoms of nausea and vomiting, lethargy, etc. And so, we were alerted and we just, I think about, fifteen minutes more, a few more came in, and so we had to see what was going on,” explained Chandra Cansino, CEO of KHMH.
CEO Cansino added that an estimated 27 children and 3 adults were admitted and were in stable condition, and the situation was under control with the help of Social Services. The Ministry of Health and Wellness, and other relevant ministries also stepped in.
In the end, 31 young children, ages ranging from 5 to 15, and 7 adults were admitted and discharged the same day, except for 2 kids who were kept overnight for observation and were released the following day.
It is common knowledge that marijuana-laced edibles, which are food items infused with cannabis extracts, can only be consumed in small quantities and should certainly not be given to children. Research indicates that THC, the chemical in marijuana (a substance used for medical purposes) that causes a “high”, can have damaging effects on the minds of young children.
In the case of many of the St. Luke students, they consumed the candy on an empty stomach, which made the short-term effects of the drug more severe. In extreme cases, large doses or repeated ingestion of such drug-laced edibles could have serious effects such as disruptions to nerve connections and to breathing as well as the lowering of blood pressure and, in some rare cases, could even result in a coma.
Many distressed parents have since expressed their anger and concern to the media regarding the nightmarish incident and how they felt upon coming to know what had happened to their children. Olga Gordon, a grandmother and resident of the Lake Independence area, described the emotions she felt when her daughter called her in a panic, trying to figure out what to do and whom to call after receiving the news.
“I was called by my daughter, Ishel Gordon, to say that Jordon is there, they’re flushing them out, and some other kids. And I was like, what happened? They purchased something that they ate,” said Gordon.
And despite her initial reaction being a desire to find the ones responsible, she still had so many questions as to how this could happen.
“I’m kind of upset as a mother and a grandmother because, how much other kids that went home will be affected. I want to know if they [vendors] know what is in the package, that is my first thing. And if they know what is in this package, why send it to our kids? Uno tiad ah we children dehn? Uno want kill dem out? Dehn da no fi uno responsibility. They all have their mother and grandmother, so they’re not your responsibility,” Gordon said.
In regard to how the marijuana-infused treats got into the hands of the vendors, Hon. Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs, confirmed with local reporters this week during a briefing that the drugs were confiscated by the Customs Department and were sent to the Police Exhibit Room. However, while the department was awaiting the results of tests on these items, a civilian serving as exhibit keeper of the Belize Police Department took it upon himself to improperly dispose of these edibles, purportedly due to the strong unpleasant aroma that they released, and they were later discovered by dumpsite scavengers.
Many Belizeans are disturbed both by the fact that these candies were sold for consumption after being at the garbage dump and that adults thought it would be a good idea to sell drug-laced edibles to children. Many are questioning whether the vendors were aware of the substance contained in these items before selling them to kids.
The principal of St. Luke Primary, Jacklyn Lynch, recounted confronting one of the vendors outside the school after witnessing multiple students with symptoms of nausea, weakness, and even hallucination.
“For some reason, I just decided to walk straight to one of the other shops outside. And I asked the vendor, ‘Sir, I am trying to find out if you are selling something contained in this packet.’ And so, he fished it out of a box. And I said, ‘Sir, are you selling our students this?’ And he said, ‘No, Miss; I won’t do that because it’s for adults.’”, Lynch related. She said that she then told him, “But you’re selling it in front of our school.”
According to Lynch, this was the second vendor whom she had confronted, after the first claimed she had only sold some to the warden, who then gave it to her daughter and nephew. Lynch further learned that a third vendor was involved who sold some to other students from other schools in the area.
The Police Department’s exhibit keeper, ultimately viewed as responsible for the edibles reaching the public, has also been detained, as investigations may lead not only to the termination of his job but possibly criminal charges for his breaching of proper protocol when disposing of the items, in addition to causing harm by negligence.
“I am extremely disappointed in the actions of this particular exhibit keeper, because he has been employed with the department for the last ten years, so it cannot be that he is not aware of the procedures that should be followed when discarding substances that are held as exhibits. For one, this is an active investigation that was awaiting results from the Forensics Department, and so it doesn’t matter what you were smelling inside your exhibit room you have no authority to then take it upon yourself, without consulting the prosecutor, without consulting the Commissioner of Police, and then to discard potential evidence in a criminal case,” said Minister Musa.
Additional allegations are surfacing, however, which indicate that there are other individuals who might be involved in what some reports have been suggesting is a reoccurring event at the Customs Department – an influx of such packages at the border. Furthermore, reports are suggesting that this particular bulk was delivered in a blue barrel under the name of a police officer. Although the identity of this officer has not been disclosed to the public yet, he has not been detained for any sort of questioning, perhaps because he has been on interdiction from his station in connection with another matter.
Unfortunately, as a result of this entire ordeal, food vendors have already begun to suffer the consequences due to the fear experienced by children who would normally come to buy food at their stalls as well as their parents and the surrounding community.
Some have reported to the media that they have even been visited at their homes by police who have ransacked their homes in search of the drug-laced substance. It was only after coming out with empty hands that these vendors were able to go out again and attempt to sell their food. However, their business was severely affected, as students were forbidden to purchase from their stalls.
Minister of Education, Hon. Francis Fonseca, while addressing the media after the scare, said that while different schools hold different policies regarding food vendors, there must certainly be a more effective policy that requires vendors to obtain a license even if they are selling manufactured sweets and not cooked food.
“It’s important for us to recognize and acknowledge that where those loopholes exist, in terms of those school vendors, all of us will have to work together. The schools, Ministry of Education, City Council, and the Ministry of Health, the people who actually certify these food handlers’ certificates, to see if there are any loopholes there; and if there are, how can we close them and address them so that we ensure at all times that our children and our teachers … we want to ensure that at all times they are safe, and that they are consuming safe products,” said Fonseca.