A 6-year-old boy from North Carolina spent hours in the emergency room after mistakenly consuming THC-laced candy that his family purchased.

The incident occurred during a family outing in Charlotte's South End neighborhood, where they stopped for lunch at the Common Market. Speaking to the New York Post, the parents described the business as an "uncommon convenience store, deli, and bar".

The young boy, intrigued by the unfamiliar candy displayed on the counter, persuaded his mother to buy it. However,  the cashier failed to inform the parents - who believed the candies were freeze-dried Skittles - that the product contained THC.

Mom Catherine Buttereit revealed to The Post that her son had seen these types of Skittles in a YouTube video and had wanted to try them for some time.

The family - including several other children - tried the candy, with the boy consuming around 40 pieces while others had one or two.

Soon after, the child began experiencing adverse and painful effects, including a burning pelvic area, freezing chest, headache, and stomach discomfort.

"He was in excruciating pain," mother Catherine told The Post.

Concerned about his well-being, his mother swiftly called 911, suspecting poisoning after the boy complained that the water tasted "disgusting". It was then discovered that the candy was laced with Delta-9 THC, the primary psychoactive component of the cannabis sativa plant.

Doctors estimated that the child had consumed approximately 13 times the adult dosage of THC for his 40-pound weight. Although Delta-9 THC is considered therapeutic, the long-term effects on a child of his age and size were unknown.

After a 17-hour sleep at the hospital, the boy woke up and his pain had fortunately subsided.

Despite marijuana being illegal in North Carolina, Delta-9 THC products with up to 0.3% content can be sold in various stores throughout the state, including convenience stores and online shops. Some packages may include a suggested 21 and over age label, but enforcement of age restrictions is not mandatory.

The Common Market, where the incident occurred, reportedly has a policy of IDing customers similar to alcohol sales and typically keeps the candy in a Plexiglas case behind the counter, out of reach of customers.

The Post reports that although the store in question did not respond to requests for comment, it confirmed that the candy should have been secured and that staff is trained to educate customers about such products.

The incident has raised concerns about the availability of THC-laced products in family-friendly settings. Buttereit hopes to raise awareness among parents and caretakers about these new drug products being accessible in places where children are present. She emphasized the importance of business owners taking proactive measures to ensure these products do not end up in the hands of children.

"I'm really just trying to bring awareness to other parents and caretakers that this extremely new drug product is available now in family-type settings where children are going to be, not only in exclusive vape-type shops anymore," said Buttereit.

She did acknowledge her own negligence as a parent but stressed that businesses must do their part in educating employees and preventing such products from reaching children.

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Per NBC News, at least two children have been hospitalized after consuming THC candy from a food bank in Utah, US.

According to the publication, an 11-year-old and a five-year-old were taken to a hospital on Friday night after ingesting "Medicated Nerds Rope" candy, which was given to their families as part of a food distribution effort from a church in allegiance with the Utah Food Bank.

Roy City Police said that volunteers distributed over 60 bags that contained three or four servings of the candy. A label states that the product contains 400 milligrams of THC, while adults are typically prescribed around 15 - 45 milligrams of the marijuana component.

Law enforcement officials also disclosed that three other children consumed the Medicated Nerds Rope, but were not taken to hospital.

"Right now, we do not believe nor do we have any evidence to support that the donation was intentional. We have discussed this issue with our local food bank and it appears to be an accident," sergeant Matthew Gwynn told NBC News in a press statement.

Ginette Bott, Utah Food Bank president and CEO, issued an apology to "any families who may have received this product."

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"We are absolutely horrified that this product went out to any of our partner agencies, and can easily see how volunteers would not have known what to look for," she told KSL - an affiliate of NBC, based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bott also clarified that the Utah Food Bank is now "changing our processes involving such donations immediately to avoid this happening again," as demand for food and other miscellaneous donations continues to grow amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

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An Australian woman has given her version of events to police after three of her family members died following a meal she cooked for them.

Erin Patterson of Victoria, Australia, had invited her former in-laws Gail and Don Patterson, both 70 to her house for lunch on July 29 along with Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66 and her husband Ian, 68.

The meal Erin served was beef wellington with mushrooms. However, a day after the meal, all four guests were rushed to the hospital with "gastro-like symptoms".

Tragically, Gail, Don, and Heather all died later that night while Ian remains in hospital in critical condition awaiting a liver transplant.

After being interviewed by police, Erin was released without charge, however authorities have confirmed that she remains a suspect. The 48-year-old has since sent a statement to Victoria Police, giving her own detailed account of the events of July 29.

In the statement, Patterson explained that her children ate the leftovers of the meal the following night, however the mushrooms had been scraped off the meal as the children don't like them.

The mushrooms were, according to Patterson's statement, a combination of some button mushrooms bought from a supermarket and some dried mushrooms purchased from an Asian grocery three months prior to the meal.

Homicide police had initially said that Patterson's children had been present at the meal, although in her statement, the 48-year-old has revealed they were at the movies.

In the statement, Patteron said, via The Independent “I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones. I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.

“I am now wanting to clear up the record because I have become extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths of my loved ones. I am hoping this statement might help in some way. I believe if people understood the background more, they would not be so quick to rush to judgment.”

The mushrooms bought from the Asian supermarket were rehydrated and mixed in with the supermarket bought button variety and cooked into the beef wellington, according to Patterson's statement. The Victoria native also told police that she went to hospital on July 31, two days after the meal, after also falling ill.

Visiting the local hospital in Leongatha, Patterson was then transferred by ambulance to Melbourne and received a "liver protective drug".

Patterson has said she preserved the remaining leftovers of the meal and handed them over to toxicologists for examination. She also told the toxicologists where she purchased the dried mushrooms from, with the Department of Health sending her photos of packets similar to those she described.

Part of Patterson's statement does admit that she lied to police about a food dehydrator. Initially Patterson had claimed she threw hers out "a long time ago" but has now revealed that she only got rid of it after she fell ill herself.

Victoria Police have so far offered no update on their investigation. In a statement they said, "Beyond that, we are not commenting on specific details of the case or what actions police will undertake as part of the investigation.

"If there are any updates we are able to release publicly, we will certainly let everyone know."

Commenting on the mysterious case last week, homicide squad detective inspector Dean Thomas said the deaths were “unexplained”.

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Nearly a dozen people were left hospitalized in Pennsylvania on Friday night after consuming "toxic mushrooms".

As reported by CBS News, the Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Fire Company, Station 57, revealed on social media that its units had been altered to a "mass casualty incident" after it was "advised that 11 people had ingested toxic mushrooms and were all ill".

Seven ambulance units were quickly dispatched to the scene from York and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania and Harford County, Maryland. Those affected were then transported to WellSpan York Hospital.

Pennsylvania State Police were also called to the scene.

First responders found 10 out of the 11 family members at the scene. The other individual had walked half a mile down the road to a phone booth in order to call 911. 

Children were reportedly among those who were hospitalized, including a one-year-old, CNN reports.

Authorities have since confirmed that the family were Amish, and consisted of one man, one woman, and nine of their children. They were aged between one and 39 years old.

One of the family members - a resident of the southeastern Pennsylvania’s Peach Bottom Township - informed authorities that the family became sick after they all ate wild mushrooms that one of them had "found in the woods" and "brought home for dinner", per Gregory Fantom, spokesperson for the Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Fire Company.

Southern York County Emergency Medical Services Chief Laura Taylor confirmed CNN: "It was wild mushrooms, but the hospital would have to confirm the type."

All 11 patients were treated and released overnight, WHP reports.

Per the Food and Drug Administration, people should take great caution when foraging food. It recommends that people should either consult with a knowledgable expert to properly identify mushrooms that are safe to eat, or simply purchase safe mushrooms from grocery stores or professional mushroom farms.

Additionally, the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control states that there are roughly 250 varieties of poisonous wild mushrooms that can be found in North America.

The National Library of Medicine adds that there are around 6,000 incidents involving toxic mushroom ingestion each year in the US.

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The community of Leongatha, Gippsland, in Australia has been left shocked after forensic toxicologist Dr. Michael Robertson revealed the gruesome details of how victims suffered following a lunch hosted by Erin Patterson.

On July 29, Erin invited her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, and her husband Ian for a beef wellington meal at her home.

Tragically, Don, Gail, and Heather lost their lives, while Ian remains critically ill in the hospital awaiting a liver transplant. All are suspected of ingesting death cap mushrooms.

According to Dr. Robertson, who spoke to Channel 9's Under Investigation, victims of death cap mushroom poisoning undergo "violent" vomiting and diarrhea just hours after consuming the poisonous fungi.

In a twist as cruel as it is puzzling, the victims would have felt a brief period of relief shortly before their bodies completely shut down.

"It's one of those toxins that gets into your system," Dr. Robertson explained. "The body doesn’t break this toxin down... It's triggering basically the death of the liver cells."

Adding another layer of horror, he mentioned that the victims might have slipped into comas after the symptoms set in. "It would’ve been horrible if they remained conscious. That first day would’ve been absolutely horrific," he said.

Backing up Robertson's comments was Dr. Heike Neumeister-Kemp, a fungus researcher. Neumeister-Kemp expanded on the symptoms, stating that hallucinations could also be part of the grim experience. "Mushroom poisoning is so nasty because we don’t really have an anecdote," she said.

Erin, who claims to be an "experienced forager," has defended herself amid growing suspicions. She said the beef wellington was made from button mushrooms bought from a major supermarket chain and dried mushrooms purchased from an Asian grocery store in Melbourne.

She also said she had a portion of the meal, and later found herself hospitalized with severe stomach pains and diarrhea, requiring treatment with a "liver protective drug."

Victoria Police are conducting an ongoing investigation to probe the shocking tragedy that has left three dead and one fighting for their life. Meanwhile, haunting details about Erin's former home have emerged.

A tradesman hired for painting revealed what he termed a "death wall" inside the house, featuring macabre graffiti drawings and writings such as "I am dead," "grandma RIP," and "you don’t [have] long to live 1 hour exactly."

Erin has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. She told the Herald Sun she had "no reason" to hurt them. describing the media portrayal as "unfair."

As investigations continue, this case serves as a grim reminder of the dangers lurking in wild fungi, especially given the victims' belief in their ability to forage safely. The tragedy has left the community rattled, and the questions around it are as toxic as the mushrooms that are believed to have caused it.

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