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Published Thursday, March 18, 2021
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Judicial Investigation Organization, OIJ, confirmed that an entire family from San Carlos District, in the north of the country, went to the San Carlos hospital for being high after ingesting weed sweets.
According to the judicial agents, the case started when a woman, who works in a hotel in the area, found a large bag of sweets in a cabinet when she was cleaning a room.
She took them and shared them with members of her family, which includes several children from as young as a 9 month old baby and the oldest being 15 years old.
Allegedly, the woman was unaware that the sweets were made with marijuana.
According to the hospital's information department, the 12 members of the family were first attended on Tuesday night by paramedics from the Red Cross station in La Fortuna District. Then, they were admitted to the emergency room of the hospital.
The baby was attended by specialists because he had respiratory difficulties. On Wednesday, he continued in observation. The rest of the family is in stable health conditions, the hospital reported.
According to the agents, it is suspected that tourists who stayed in the hotel room, had left the marijuana candies before their checkout.
The chances that this drug has been bought in the country is minimal because that specific type of sweets has not been detected before, the agents said.
The Prosecutor's Office determined that there is no crime due to the poisonings being accidental without any intentional act of hurting the family. "There is no criminal act to investigate," the agents said.
According to the American Addiction Center, food products can easily be infused with marijuana. These products come in a variety of different forms such as candies, gummies, chocolates, lozenges or beverages among others.
Edibles can be homemade or prepared commercially for dispensaries. When made at home the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana is usually extracted into oil or butter that can be used in cooking or spread directly on food. Although smoking remains the most prevalent method of marijuana consumption, the ingestion of edibles is quickly becoming a popular way to take the drug, according to specialists.
"Unfortunately, many people who consume edibles are unaware of the dangers associated with their use," the organization said in its statement
Experts said that the effects of marijuana edibles last much longer than smoking, usually up to several hours depending on the amount of THC consumed, the amount and types of the last food eaten, and other drugs or alcohol used at the same time.
According to Nora Volkow, the current director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, edibles are now being associated with “medical complications that we never knew were associated with marijuana.”
Some of the more adverse effects associated with the consumption of edibles include:
• Confusion.
• Vomiting.
• Anxiety and panic attacks.
• Agitation.
• Psychotic episodes.
• Hallucinations.
• Paranoia.
• Impaired motor ability.
• Respiratory depression.
• Heart problems (ranging from irregular heartbeat to heart attack).
Judicial agents ask for people to report any suspicion of illegal laced candy sales to the confidential line 800-8000-645, where there are bilingual agents who can answer calls in English or Spanish.
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What have you heard of the sale of weed candies in your community? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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