4 students hospitalized after eating drug-laced candies

GULFPORT, Fla. – Authorities in Florida say four Tampa Bay area high school students were hospitalized after eating drug-laced gummy candies.

The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/1qEy9qR) reports that Gulfport Police Chief Robert Vincent said Monday that presumptive tests showed the drug was likely THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Pinellas County Schools spokeswoman Lisa Wolf says a student brought the candy to school and passed it around to other students. She says seven students ate it and four were taken to John Hopkins All Children's Hospital as a precaution.

Wolf said the parents of the students who were taken to the hospital have been notified.

Vincent said the investigation was ongoing and no charges had been filed Monday afternoon. He declined to speak in detail about the case.

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Information from: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.), http://www.tampabay.com.