Sheriff’s department investigating how kids obtained cannabis-laced snacks

An investigation was underway Thursday to ascertain how four students at a Moreno Valley middle school obtained marijuana-laced snacks that caused them to become ill.

“This is an active investigation and deputies are still investigating the incident to determine the origin of the substance and if any criminal acts were committed,” Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Jerry Franchville said.

The four students fell ill about noon Wednesday at Sunnymead Middle School on Eucalyptus Avenue.

County fire crews were called to the location and paramedics rendered treatment at the scene.

Franchville said authorities soon confirmed the students had consumed “marijuana-infused gummies.”

Three of the four victims were taken to nearby Riverside University Medical Center by ambulance for further evaluation, while one boy declined to be transported, according to officials.

Franchville said the students “are expected to make full recoveries.”

A spokeswoman for the Moreno Valley Unified School District declined Wednesday to disclose any details regarding the circumstances behind the incident, saying only that the juveniles “did consume something.”

“While marijuana is legal for adults to possess in California … it is still illegal for children to smoke or use marijuana recreationally,” Franchville said. “Marijuana must be stored where children do not have access to it.”

A similar incident occurred in May at an elementary school in Perris, where five children required medical attention after consuming marijuana-packed snacks that a student had brought to the campus.

Anyone with information about the most recent occurrence at Sunnymead Middle School was asked to contact the sheriff’s Moreno Valley station at 951- 486-6700