CINCINNATI — Four children accidentally ingested THC-laced candy at a YMCA camp in Westwood in March.
Ashley Hargrove, a mother of one of the children who ingested a candy, said it was "absolutely mortifying" to learn what happened to her son.
Hargrove said she received a phone call from the Gamble-Nippert YMCA around 3:40 p.m. on Thursday, March 28 saying her son, Alekxander, wasn't feeling right and needed to be picked up immediately.
Hargrove took her son to an urgent care that at first treated it as a head injury because his head was accidentally hit at camp that day; however, Alekxander was then transported via ambulance to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center where they found he had THC in his system, she said.
Hargrove said it wasn't until the next day that she learned how her son ingested the THC.
Alison Hansen, the chief advancement officer at YMCA, said a child brought what they thought was normal candy into camp that day. That child then shared the candy, which was actually weed candy of some type, to three other children, including Alekxander, who were also at the day camp.
Hansen said the child who brought the candy was there for day camp while on spring break from their normal school.
"I never even thought in a million years to even think that it could be something like THC," Hargrove said. "... It never entered my mind because he's eight years old."
The respective adults for all of the children who showed signs of illness were called to pick them up, as per YMCA's protocol, Hansen said.
Hansen also said the parents and child who brought the laced candy to the camp have been removed from the YMCA program indefinitely.
Even after the incident, Hargrove, who is a single parent, says it's "an uncomfortable feeling" having to leave her children to go to work after this incident.
"It's just going to become the norm," Hargrove said. "... They probably get them from parents, or older siblings, not knowing exactly what it is they're eating."
Hargrove also believes with proper supervision that the incident would have never happened. She also said the YMCA hasn't been as forthcoming with information as she would like, including the fact that the one child was removed from the program, which is something she says she figured out through child and family services.
"I just don't want this to happen to any other kid ever," Hargrove said.
READ MORE:
District: 2 Colerain Middle School students hospitalized after ingesting 'cannabis-infused gummy bears'
Covington family says local food mart sold THC gummy to 8-year-old
Gov. DeWine calls on lawmakers to ban or regulate delta-8 products
