Jonesboro first-graders ingest marijuana gummies, police report says December 19, 2022 By Griffin Coop Six children at a Jonesboro elementary school ingested marijuana gummies Friday and were taken to local hospitals for evaluation, according to a report from the Jonesboro Police Department. A 6-year-old took the gummies to school and handed them out to classmates at Math and Science Magnet School before a “panicked” parent called the police, according to the police report. The report describes the incident as “endangering the welfare of a minor – 1st degree,” which is a felony. The investigation has been assigned to the 2nd Judicial Drug Task Force, according to Sally Smith, spokeswoman for the Jonesboro Police Department. At about 11:50 a.m. Friday, a school resource officer at International Studies Magnet School responded to a call at Math and Science Magnet School where he said “several first-graders had ingested marijuana gummies,” according to the report. The responding officer, Gary Jackson, said dispatch had received a call from a “panicked complainant,” listed as Clarissa Lopez, who said she was taking her daughter to the hospital. When Jackson arrived at the Math and Science school, he was advised that the parents of the six children involved had been contacted. He said those parents “had already picked their children up from the school and taken them to local hospitals to be evaluated.” A photo provided by a parent to KAIT TV in Jonesboro showed packages of “Dank Gummies” and “Stoner Patch Dummies” that say they were produced in California. Each package says it contains 500 mg of THC and one says it contains 50 mg THC doses, which would be above the 10 mg maximum dose in Arkansas. One package also includes graphics of marijuana leaves, which is also not allowed in Arkansas. “Based on the photos shared by parents, the product that initiated this situation would certainly not be a product offered by an Arkansas dispensary,” said Scott Hardin, spokesman for the state Medical Marijuana Commission and Alcoholic Beverage Control Division. “It clearly resembles candy marketed to children and is not in an appropriate container. Under Amendment 98 and the associated rules, product sold in Arkansas is not mistaken as commercially available candy.” Mitchell Nail, a spokesman for St. Bernard’s Healthcare in Jonesboro, said “a couple” of the students were taken to his hospital and released the same day. A spokesman for NEA Baptist has not returned a request for information on patients who may have been treated there. Attempts to reach Jonesboro Superintendent Dr. Kim Wilbanks or a spokesperson for the school district were unsuccessful. The district’s winter break began Monday. The police report lists three suspects, all females aged 26, 67 and 70. While the report says six children ingested the gummies, it lists eight victims between the ages of three and seven.
