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Clearly marked marijuana treats, unlike what was sold to a preschool teacher, which was unlabeled in individual plastic bags for $1.50 each | Photo by D.C.Atty via Flickr
Possibly adding fuel to the city's grease fire to get rid of illegal street vendors, a Center for Disease Control report released today tells of an April incident in which pot brownies bought from a bogus church fundraiser ended up in a preschool teacher's lounge sickening several teachers.
One of the preschool teachers bought the brownies from a street vendor who said it was for a church fundraiser, the LA Times reported. The teacher gave one to her son before bringing them to school where they were left in the teacher's lounge. Five teachers ate them with one other taking one bite and spitting it out, saying it tasted unusual. Then the symptoms came--fatigue, having poor coordination, being unable to walk straight and easily stumbling.
The LAPD was called in, who eventually tested a remaining brownie finding positive results for marijuana. The church's pastor says there was never any fundraiser and the alleged vendor has not been found.
An anonymous commenter on the LA Times post points out the wider implications of this story
And yet we still have a chorus of people in this city that say that the rigged shopping cart hot dog grills, taco trucks and other unlicensed vendors are somehow beneficial to us? That they provide us with a valuable service? Although I do see shades of Darwin here, anyone who purchases food from a man on the sidewalk should be aware of the impending physical problems that would stem from their consumption.
Yet the enforcement of street vendors, an important cultural part of any city, is quite a touchy subject in Los Angeles. See the reactions on previous LAist's posts such as a recent sting on designer trucks in the Miracle Mile and a hot dog cart bust on Hollywood Boulevard.