3 Elementary School Students Hospitalized After Allegedly Mistaking Methamphetamine for Candy

Mar. 16, 2025

College Gardens Elementary School in Rockville, Maryland.Photo: Google Maps

College Gardens Elementary School in Rockville, Maryland

Three elementary school students in Maryland have been hospitalized after they allegedly mistook methamphetamine for candy.

Montgomery County Policesaid in a statement Monday that they responded to a call at College Gardens Elementary School in Rockville after the 7-year-old students got sick and were transported to the hospital.

The statement added that the incident occurred when the students found a container of blue items that they believed to be candy. The children then briefly ingested the items before they spat them out.

Police said when they started to feel dizzy, all three students went to the school nurse who called EMS. They were then transported to local hospitals as a precaution, added the statement.

Though none of the items were recovered the police statement added that “based on toxicology of some of the victims, investigators believe that the items may have been a methamphetamine-related drug, such as Adderall or MDMA (ecstasy or Molly,).”

“I am relieved that the students will ultimately be fine, but in many ways, what happened today is frightening,” Montgomery County police chief Marcus Jones added. “I hope that it serves as a powerful motivator for parents to keep having the difficult conversations with their children about the dangers of taking or eating unknown substances.”

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WUSA 9reported that Stacey Rogovoy, the principal of the elementary school, sent a letter home on Monday reminding parents to tell their children that they shouldn’t eat anything other than what they brought from home or purchased at school.

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“It is imperative that we remember that no food of any kind is to be shared with other students,” Rogovoy wrote. “Please reiterate to your child that they are only to eat food that they bring from home or purchase at school. If they ever find suspected candy or other food on school property, they need to immediately speak to an adult at school.”

The investigation is active and ongoing.

source: people.com