Michigan schools are worried kids may bring marijuana edibles to school

Some Michigan schools are eyeing homemade desserts with suspicion after finding pot-laced brownies and candies in kids' lunches.

Schools across Michigan have reported cases of kids eating the drug-containing treats, wittingly or unwittingly.

"With the recent changes to the recreational marijuana laws in our state, many districts, including ours, are experiencing issues at the secondary school levels from students bringing edibles onto school property," Pontiac Schools Superintendent Kelley Williams wrote to parents in a letter earlier this month.

"Due to the nature of edibles and the fact that they frequently resemble traditional homemade baked goods and prepackaged candy, we are strongly discouraging parents from sending students to school with home-baked snacks or prepackaged items, especially with unfamiliar branding."

Last year, Michigan voters approved a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana, but users must be 21 and school districts maintain zero tolerance policies for the drug in schools.

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More:Police: Cheerleader allegedly gives pot brownies for homecoming votes

Pontiac isn't the only district to see the problem.  

Grand Rapids schools have seen a few cases of edible marijuana products showing up in schools, but it hasn't been widespread, spokesman John Hemboldt said. 

That district is handling it through existing rules related to drugs at schools, he said.

In May, several students at Carter Middle School in the Clio School District north of Flint were sickened after eating candy laced with THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

In February, several students at Adams Upper Elementary School in the Wayne-Westland School District, were treated by EMS after suspected exposure to edibles laced with THC.

Last year, investigators said a 17-year-old cheerleader at Hartford High School west of Kalamazoo distributed goody bags containing pot-laced brownies to members of the school's football team hoping to score their votes for homecoming queen.

Police told USA Today that the tactic backfired — the girl didn't win. 

Other districts haven't seen it yet, but they are conscious of the possibility that baked goods could contain cannabis.

Detroit Public Schools Community District hasn't had any arrests related to edibles, but it does provide information about them, spokeswoman Chrystal Wilson said. 

"We are informing and educating our students and families regarding the content in the student code of conduct, which prohibits the use of vaping, cigarettes and drug use, including 'edibles' in schools," Wilson said.

The legalization of marijuana may be driving up incidents of unintentional exposure, said Dr. Andy King, who runs the Toxicology Fellowship Program at Wayne State University. 

Part of the problem is people who eat edibles don't necessarily know how large a dose of THC they're getting, he said.

“A typical marijuana cigarette holds about 10 mg of THC," King said in a statement. “That’s what you see in a gummy bear. That’s a dose for a novice person to take to get the psychedelic or enjoyable effects of THC. These edibles can go up to 10 times that amount.”

Dr. Cynthia Aaron, the medical director at the Michigan Poison Control Center at Wayne State University, said dosing of THC in edibles isn't regulated.

“You may be told that the rice cereal treat has 50 mg of THC in it, but because there is no oversight you have no idea how well-distributed that 50 mg is within the treat," she said in a statement released by the school.

"If you read the package, the dose is half of a treat, one square of a chocolate bar or one or two gummies. What child is going to stop at half the treat or one square of chocolate? So overall the kids get a higher dose of THC than the adult would due to smaller size.” 

David Harns, spokesman for Michigan's marijuana regulatory agency, said the state does have rules in place for the distribution of THC throughout edible products. Legal products must undergo testing to verify that distribution. Products that fail the test must be remixed or destroyed, he said.

"In the regulated market, there is definitely oversight," Harns said. "That 50 mg is well distributed throughout the treats."

Edible marijuana products in Michigan are currently only available for medical purposes while the state finalizes licensing and rules for recreational sales. It's not clear if the treats found in schools were purchased through a legal medical marijuana facility or on the black market.

Last month, Wayne State announced that since the beginning of the year, the Michigan Poison Center had received 420 calls related to marijuana exposure, including 104 involving patients under 18. More than half of the pediatric calls — 59 — involved edibles. In 2017, the center fielded six such calls, the school said. 

Student codes of conduct at schools across the state prohibit any kind of drugs on school property and penalties for possessing or distributing them can include suspensions or even expulsion.

Contact John Wisely: 313-222-6825 or jwisely@freepress.com. On Twitter @jwisely