Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Three Kings Day bread laced with synthetic marijuana ingredient, report says

The Three Kings bread that caused over 40 people to become ill last week may have been laced with synthetic marijuana, according to a study commissioned by the Orange County Register.
The Three Kings bread that caused over 40 people to become ill last week may have been laced with synthetic marijuana, according to a study commissioned by the Orange County Register.
(
Courtsey of NBCLA.com
)

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

The Three Kings Day bread that caused more than 40 people to fall ill last week may have been laced with a synthetic drug that mimics the active ingredient in marijuana, a study commissioned by the Orange County Register found Tuesday.

The Register obtained a sample of the bread from a Santa Ana woman who said it made her ill last week and hired a lab licensed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to test it.

The Register reports:

Neil Spingarn, a pharmacologist who heads up S&N Laboratories, tested a sample of the Three Kings Day bread and found it contaminated with “a substantial” amount of a synthetic cannabinoid – an artificial THC with intensified effects. THC is the main chemical ingredient in marijuana.

“The levels in the cake are not small.” Spingarn said. “What is most striking is that this was not inadvertent.”

The
Orange County Health Care Agency said its own preliminary lab results indicate the presence of a synthetic drug in the bread. Health investigators have not confirmed a specific drug and further lab results are expected in the next two weeks.

Neither the Orange County Health Care Agency nor Santa Ana Police Department would comment Tuesday on the findings by S&N Labs, according to the Register.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today