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LOS ANGELES – Eight teens who became “acutely ill” after ingesting cannabis edibles during a field trip to the La Brea Tar Pits were hospitalized Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Officials said the eight teens were found by an on-site security officer, who called 911 around 2:30 p.m.
“LAFD Paramedics arrived quickly to determine each had an altered level of consciousness, following their reported ingestion of cannabis edibles,” the LAFD said.
The eight teens were transported by ambulance to area hospitals in fair condition for further treatment, the LAFD said.
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The La Brea Tar Pits said on X that the high school students were on a chaperoned field trip to the tar pits when they fell ill and that their staff “acted quickly to assess the situation and seek medical aid.”
“According to first responders, their symptoms were caused by something the students ingested on their own, unrelated to their visit to La Brea Tar Pits,” the statement continued. “We extend our care and concern to the students and their families and wish them a healthy recovery.”
Officials did not say where the students attend school or how they came to obtain the marijuana edibles.
A study published earlier this year in the journal Pediatrics found more than 7,000 confirmed cases of kids younger than 6 eating marijuana edibles were reported to the nation’s poison control centers between 2017 and 2021, climbing from about 200 to more than 3,000 per year.
Cases of kids eating pot products such as candies, chocolate and cookies have coincided with more states allowing medical and recreational cannabis use. Currently 37 U.S. states permit use of marijuana for medical purposes and 21 states regulate adult recreational use, the Associated Press reports.