Police say they believe the gummy bears that sickened roughly a dozen Naperville North High School students earlier this week were laced with pot and appear to be "homemade."
"It would appear from our investigation that the candy was homemade and not store bought," Naperville police said in a statement. "In addition, we still believe that it was a form of cannabis in the gummy bears that made the students ill, but we are awaiting lab results to confirm this."
Police said they urge parents to remind their children not to accept unopened candy or other forms of food or drinks.
Several students at Naperville North High School were sent to the hospital after becoming sick from eating gummy bears that "may contain another substance," school officials said earlier this week.
According to District 203's director of communications, Michelle Fregoso, several students reported feeling "uncomfortable and sick" after the eating gummy bears.
Those students were taken to the nurse's office for care and some were transported to a local hospital to receive medical attention, Fregoso said in a statement.
"Each student had varying degrees of discomfort and subsequent treatment," the statement read.
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The Naperville Fire Department said it evaluated and treated 14 students at the school, 13 of which were believed to have been affected by the gummy bears. The school later said only 12 were being treated for eating the gummy bears.
The students were taken to Edward Hospital where they were put under observation. By Tuesday afternoon, most of the students had been released.
Officials said the students had symptoms including fast heart rate, dry mouth and dizziness. The students told authorities they believed the gummy bears may have been laced with some sort of liquid marijuana.
Police said it was not clear if the gummy bears did in fact contain marijuana, but some gummy bears were recovered and sent for testing.
A 17-year-old was taken into custody, according to police, but authorities said they had more leads and were still looking to speak with other students.
"We encourage all parents to have conversations with their children about making healthy choices. Our community is fortunate to have a number of resources available through school and other community partners to support the wellbeing of students," Fregoso said in a statement. "We continue to review the specifics of the situation and will address it appropriately."
