Pizza inadvertently laced with THC – the principal psychoactive ingredient in marijuana – has apparently sickened dozens of people in Wisconsin.
Health officials in Dane county say Famous Yeti’s Pizza in Stoughton, about 20 miles (32km) south-east of Madison, served pizza contaminated with THC, from Monday through Thursday.
Paramedics alerted health officials on Thursday that they had transported five people who said they had gotten sick after eating pizza at the restaurant.
Health officials said they have received dozens of reports of people who got sick from the pizza and are still taking reports. A full tally will be available in a final report, they said.
The officials said a restaurant cook ran out of oil, went into a shared commercial kitchen in the same building and mistakenly took a jug of oil off a shelf that contained Delta-9, a form of THC.
Marijuana is illegal in Wisconsin, but products such as THC derived from the hemp plant are legal. Health officials said the oil in question can be used to make everything from cookies to condiments.
THC-related symptoms can include dizziness, increased blood pressure, vomiting, anxiety, paranoia and hallucinations.
Cale Ryan, a Famous Yeti’s Pizza co-owner, told the Wisconsin State Journal that the cook simply grabbed the wrong oil. He said one batch of dough, which can make 60 pizzas, was contaminated. He’s heard from about 20 customers who were affected, he said.
“They get really stoned,” he said. “They get intoxicated from the THC, so I think it’s more alarming than anything to feel that way. It’s basically eating an edible, but without knowing.”