Georgia medical officials warn of the dangers of ingesting Delta-8

ATLANTA — The Georgia Poison director is reminding the public of the dangers of ingesting Delta 8-infused gummies after officials say two children were hospitalized.

Twice in one week, two kids were sent to the hospital after eating Delta 8-infused candy.

Deesia Thrasher said her nine-year-old daughter was in the back of an ambulance when she arrived at Orrs Elementary in Griffin Monday around noon.

“They said her blood pressure was high. They said her heart rate was beating fast. As a mother, I was scared,” Thrasher said.

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She said her child was crying and didn’t even realize her father was in the ambulance with her. Thrasher said paramedics were treating her after she ate Sourbelts Delta 8 THC-infused pineapple gummies at school.

In Pickens County, Hannah Puddick told Channel 2′s Candace McCowan that her 7-year-old thought he was eating one of his favorite candies at school -- a nerd candy rope.

“My son said the only difference was it was green like snot,” Puddick said.

But hours later, he was rushed to the emergency room.

Puddick said that’s when she got a call that Bryson was sick.

“He was so pale, and he couldn’t do anything. He could even walk,” Puddick said.

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“It’s very tragic, but this is something we hear about all the time,” Georgia Poison Center Executive Director Gaylord Lopez said. “When we look at our own data, when we look over the past three years, we’ve received over 200 set calls. About 10 percent of those calls end up going into ICUs.”

Now Delta 8 is legal. It is made from Hemp, a version of the cannabis plant that has a special carve out in state and federal law.

Supporters of the drug see it as an alternative pain medication.

“It’s not so much the fogginess you get from actually smoking marijuana. It’s more of the body sensation from getting high// it’s not as potent, and it doesn’t last as long,” Ron Thornton told Channel 2 last year.

A major concern for Dr. Lopez is the packaging of the product. Many gummies are designed to look like candy, and often, children do not stop at one dose because they don’t know better.

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“The dose makes the poison,” Dr. Lopez said.

The good news is that reported cases of Delta 8 issues in Georgia have declined for the past three years.

“But when it affects you, it’s 100 percent. It’s your child. It’s your kid, and it’s happening to you,” Lopez said.

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