Drug-laced gummy bears send six Alabama students to hospital, police say

Six south Alabama students were hospitalized Thursday afternoon after eating candy authorities believe were laced with some kind of drug.

Mobile County School System spokeswoman Rena Philips said six Alma Bryant High School students were acting “loopy” in class after eating gummy bears, reports the Associated Press.

The students also showed signs of “mood swings, lethargy and elevated heart rates,” according to Fox 10 in Mobile. Bayou La Batre police said the students were taken to a local hospital for treatment and released around 5:30 p.m.

Cpt. Scott Dagg said hospital officials told him the gummies appear to be laced with a stimulant, according to Fox 10. Dagg said it could take up to three months to get test results back on exactly what drug was found in the gummies.

“You know you have your incidents from time to time, but never nothing like this, this is kind of new for our area,” Dagg told Fox 10. “We were able to obtain a piece of evidence and we've looked at it closely and it's hard to determine what it is at this particular time. However, we've sent it to the department of forensic sciences for further testing to help us clear up what it is.”

Tracy Smith, an Alma Bryant mother, told News 5 she is “disappointed” by the incident.

“I’m disappointed in one, the parents, and two, the school board,” Smith told the news station. “I don’t understand how they don’t know this is going on, but it is what it is.”

Three boys at the school were arrested on unlawful distribution charges for reportedly handing out the gummies, according to Fox 10. Two more students are being interviewed for possible involvement.

This story was originally published November 3, 2017 at 7:56 AM with the headline "Drug-laced gummy bears send six Alabama students to hospital, police say."