Children hospitalized near Montreal after eating suspected cannabis candy
A Montreal-area mother is warning other parents to talk to their kids after her daughter and two other elementary school students were hospitalized after eating drug-laced candy they found on the floor of their school bus this week.
The three young students, ages six and seven, are in Grade 1 at Franklin Hill Elementary School in the off-island suburb of Repentigny.
"It's very scary what I went through. It was awful to see her like that," said Alexa Pando, whose six-year-old daughter, Zarah, ate the candy.
"I saw her not feeling good -- she cried and cried, and I said 'Zarah, what's wrong?'" Pando told CTV News in an interview Wednesday.
"She says 'Mommy, I don’t feel good and I have voices in my head.'"
The girl at first didn't want to admit what had happened, but finally she told her mother that she had eaten a mystery candy on her school bus. She found a bag of the gummy candy and shared it with two friends, she said.
Her symptoms were serious enough that her mother called an ambulance, and once at the hospital, two other children arrived who had ridden the same school bus, Pando explained.
Zarah spent the night in hospital and is now back at home, feeling fine. But it was a very troubling experience not just for her family, but also for her, she said.
"It was like, really scary, because I never felt like that before, and voices in my head -- I didn’t like it," the girl told CTV News.
Franklin Hill's principal confirmed what had happened in a letter to parents on Tuesday alleging the students consumed candy that contained cannabis.
"Yesterday, on one of our after-school bus rides, three students consumed candy containing cannabis and, as a result, had to be hospitalized," the school's principal, Peter Papadeas, wrote in the letter, which the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board provided.
"Students found this candy lying on the floor of the school bus and consumed it. Parents of the students on the bus were immediately contacted after we were notified of the situation."
The school and school board are working with local police to investigate the situation, Papadeas wrote.
"At this time, we do not know how the candy got on the bus," he said, noting that "police confirmed this was an isolated incident."
Edibles are legal in Quebec, but it's not legal to sell them as candy, because of exactly this risk -- that children may unknowingly eat them.
Repentigny police said they can't be absolutely sure the drug in the candy was cannabis, and that it's impossible to do an analysis because none of the candies are left.
However, spokesperson Bruno Marier confirmed that the emergency doctor who examined the children "assessed that the children's symptoms could be due to some drug consumption via candy."
Police are now focusing on discovering how the illegal candies got onto the bus, said Marier.
"We started an investigation trying to figure out what happened on the bus -- what was the trajectory of bus before Franklin Hill School?" he said. "Maybe it went to a high school taking kids home."
Marier said it's important for kids to learn never to eat candies or other items without knowing where they're from, and to be taught to give the bag to the school driver in a case like this.
The school board didn't confirm more details about the bus in question, and how many age groups or schools it serves.
The school said it's still taking "precautionary measures" and beginning a series of awareness campaigns to teach students not to eat anything "that does not belong to them" or whose origin is unknown.
That will involve specialized teams speaking to students about the risks involved, as well as training staff to speak to students about the same issue.
Together with local public health authorities, they will also begin "age-appropriate prevention measures about drugs," Papadeas wrote.
The board and school say they are also putting together tools and online resources to help parents educate their children about drug risks.
Pando urged other parents to have a talk with their children to tell them to not eat any mysterious products.
"Just talk to them," she pleaded.
- With files from CTV News Montreal's Pedro Querido
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
PWHL Minnesota defeats Boston to win inaugural Walter Cup
Minnesota won the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Wednesday night, getting 17 saves from Nicole Hensley to beat Boston 3-0 in a winner-take-all Game 5 and claim the Walter Cup.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
B.C. mortgage broker ran $270-million Ponzi scheme, then fled Canada, bankruptcy trustee says
The trustee appointed to manage the bankruptcies of a Victoria mortgage company and its owner has concluded that they committed "numerous offences" and operated as a "massive Ponzi scheme."
Oilers rally to beat Stars, tie Western Conference Final
With the Edmonton Oilers down two goals late in the first period of Game 4, Rogers Place was quiet, fans seemingly bewildered at the early, quick scoring of the Dallas Stars and the slow start by the home team. Ryan McLeod's marker with six-and-a-half minutes in the opening frame left changed all that.
McDonald's says $18 Big Mac meal was an 'exception' and their prices haven't risen that much
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases.
'Targeted again': Montreal police investigate after gunshot fired at Jewish school
Police are investigating another building in Montreal's community was struck by gunfire.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Poilievre says Canadians 'fleeing' to Nicaragua, Liberals say it shows he 'doesn't have a clue'
Liberal parliamentarians are criticizing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over a new video in which he promotes the idea that some Canadians are 'fleeing' Canada to live in Nicaragua because they can't afford a house in this country.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.