Parents Charged After New York Child Accidentally Ingests THC, Cocaine
According to a report by Diane Rutherford of WWNY, two New York parents are facing charges after their now three-years-old child accidentally ate a THC-laced candy bar and ingested cocaine.
According to the report, the parents, 33-year-old Jeffrey Jessmer and 30-year-old Lisa Pitts of Winthrop, were arrested by state police last week after lab results confirmed that the child had ingested THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and cocaine.
According to court documents the parents were sleeping when the child took a THC-laced candy bar from their bedroom and ate it. It is not known how the child ingested the cocaine, but Jessmer and Pitts admitted to buying the drugs. According to the court documents, the candy bar was "left unsecured and in the general area of other regular candy bars."
They were discovered in the child's system when they took him to Massena Memorial Hospital, shortly before he was transferred to Upstate Medical Center due to the severity of his condition.
Jessmer and Pitts were charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.
The report also indicated the now three-years-old child has fully recovered from the incident.
With the legalization of recreational marijuana in New York, it's an important reminder to keep marijuana out of the reach of children who may not know what they're eating. Just a few weeks ago, a Long Island child was hospitalized after accidentally ingesting cannabis-infused gummies he got while trick-or-treating.