(KTLA) – At least eight children needed medical evaluation Wednesday afternoon after possibly ingesting marijuana gummies at a school in Sun Valley, California officials said.
The incident was reported around 1:20 p.m. at 7330 N. Bakman Avenue, the site of Sun Valley Magnet School, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The patients, all believed to be school age, were being evaluated for “sudden illness” after ingesting what is believed to be chewable marijuana, officials said. They were all conscious and breathing.
The boys and girls are between 12 and 16 years old. Five were taken to a hospital for further treatment, while three were released at the scene to their parents.
Officials said that while the kids were discovered sick at the campus, it was unclear if they are students.
“A confirmation of how each may be affiliated with the campus remains a matter for LAUSD officials,” LAFD said in an updated alert.
Several Los Angeles Fire Department units responded to the school, aerial video from Nexstar’s KTLA showed.
Marijuana and marijuana edibles are widely available in cannabis stores across California, where voters legalized recreational use in 2016.
The number of U.S. children, especially toddlers, who were accidentally sickened by marijuana-laced treats jumped from about 200 in 2017 to more than 3,000 in 2021, according to a January study.
Of the cases that were reported, almost 25% of those children were hospitalized for treatment.
This is a developing story.