FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Four middle school students in St. Lucie County were taken to a hospital Thursday after it's believed they ate gummies that may have contained THC, a substance found in marijuana.
In a message to parents and guardians, Latricia Stubbs, the principal of Dan McCarty Middle School in Fort Pierce, said the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and a school resource deputy investigated the "isolated incident."
The four students were taken to the hospital "out of an abundance of caution" to receive "medical attention," Stubbs said.
Last month, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said 10 students at Oak Hammock K-8 School in Port St. Lucie possibly ate gummies containing THC, and five of them were hospitalized.
THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is a medical compound found in the cannabis plant that can have an impact on a person's mental state.
"Any student who distributes, possesses, or is caught in the act of using, admits to use, or is discovered to have used drugs, narcotics, or controlled substances in the course of an investigation will receive consequences outlined in the Student Code of Conduct," Stubbs said in her message to parents on Friday.
Those consequences can include suspension, expulsion and/or an arrest.
According to the Florida Poison Control Center in Jacksonville, there have been 64 emergency calls statewide regarding THC edibles as of February of this year. That's the most at this time of the year compared to any other year since 2018.