Quebec police probe Halloween candy scares as four-year-old boy hospitalized after cannabis-laced KitKat
A four-year-old in Drummondville ate a KitKat containing cannabis and is now home and out of danger, while the SQ has opened an investigation and made no arrests.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
A four-year-old boy in Drummondville ate a KitKat containing cannabis while trick-or-treating on October 31, the child's stepmother Rebeka Lefebvre said in a Facebook post. He showed extreme drowsiness and an elevated heart rate before he was taken to hospital. He is now home and out of danger.
The bar looked normal and sealed, according to Lefebvre's account.
"I am begging you, parents of Drummondville, Saint-Germain, and the surrounding areas: check your children's candy," Lefebvre wrote. "Even the ones that are wrapped and appear untouched. Never assume something is safe just because it looks normal."
The Sûreté du Québec has opened an investigation but has given no details on where the candy came from, and it has made no arrests. Police have not said whether the product was commercial or homemade, or whether any other child was affected.
The case is separate from two other Halloween candy reports in Quebec. Police in Drummondville are looking into a needle found in a chocolate wrapper, and a metal pin was reported in a chocolate bar in St-Marcel. No one was injured in either case. SQ spokesperson Valérie Beauchamp told the Montreal Gazette the cases appear isolated and that no arrests have been made.
The open question is whether the SQ links the KitKat to the needle and pin reports.
Where did the cannabis-laced candy come from, and has police identified who handed it out?
Is the SQ treating the Drummondville KitKat case as linked to the needle and pin reports?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
