Police: THC-infused candy at school Halloween event in California leaves one child sick

Police in California's Bay Area are investigating after parents reported at least two children were given THC-infused candy during a Halloween trick-or-treating event at a school.

Police in Alameda, a city located near Oakland, reported the incident took place over the weekend at Earhart Elementary School.

One of the children, an elementary student, ingested the THC-infused candy, became ill and required medical attention, police spokesperson Sarah Henry told USA TODAY.

In a district-wide email sent to parents obtained by USA TODAY, Alameda Unified School District official issued an alert confirming two families who attended the PTA-sponsored “Trunk-or-Treat” event at the school found "cannabis-infused fruit chews" in their child's candy.

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Parents urged to check their kid's candy for cannabis

In the email, the district wrote it was working with the school's staff and Alameda police to investigate the source of the candy.  "In the meantime, we urge all families to sort through their child’s candy generally this week, and to specifically look for Lost Farm Cannabis-Infused Fruit Chews," the email says.

The wrapped chews look like Starburst but specifically say “Cannabis-Infused” on them, according to school officials and police.

As a safety precaution, police issued an alert to parents warning them to check their child's Halloween candy before allowing them to eat it.

"Many THC-infused candies can closely resemble popular name brand sweets," police wrote in a release.

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Case remains under investigation

Police did not release the age or sex of the child who became sick after eating the candy.

But Henry said the child is expected to recover and said detectives will continue to investigate who is responsible for giving the child the THC-infused candy.

"Hopefully this was an isolated incident," Henry said Tuesday.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

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