CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A warning from a local high school student and his mother. The 16-year-old unknowingly ingested a cookie laced with drugs, and he has had a full week of epileptic seizures.
The teenager’s mother told the News4JAX I-TEAM she thinks the Clay County School District should be doing more to let parents and students know about the dangers. And sadly during the News4JAX interview with the teen, he had a seizure.
“It was hard for me to breathe, it restricted me from breathing, it felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest and I just started shaking,” 16-year-old Kentrell Graham said.
During his seizure, he is unable to control his shaking, convulsions and shallow breathing. The teen wanted to speak with the News4JAX I-TEAM to let other students know about the dangers associated with cookies laced with drugs.
“It hurts because I can’t help him,” Graham’s mom, Audrey Brown said. “I don’t know what to say, or do, all I can do is comfort him, and try to bring him through whatever he’s going through.”
Brown said last Wednesday at Orange Park High School, a teenager was selling cookies to other students inside the school. Brown was hungry and purchased one, not knowing that he was ingesting a cooking, doctors later would tell the family, was laced with anti-depressant medication, anti-anxiety medication and marijuana.
“He’s not able to function in class anymore,” Brown said. “He can’t even have a conversation with you.”
Brown said her son spent six days in the hospital after collapsing in class and is now no longer able to finish the school year. Doctors say he’s at risk of passing out and falling down. Brown said she wants the Clay County School District to do more to let students and teachers know, that one cookie can change their lives for the worst.
“I feel like, you should tell us, there’s kids selling snacks in the school with drugs in them,” Brown said. “There are kids overdosing in the school, like my son said, when people come to school, kids are selling snacks, chips, juices for 50 cents, a dollar, whatever just to have something else to eat.”
Graham had this to say to other North Florida students before he had the seizure.
“What I want other kids to know is don’t take things from strangers, that’s how I was brought up,” Graham said. “I didn’t think anything of it, there were a bunch of other kids getting cookies and stuff and he said, ‘did you want one for a dollar?’ and I got it.”
Graham never had a seizure before he ate the cookie. His mom is urging any parents whose child has unknowingly ingested a brownie or gummy bear laced with drugs to speak out about it.
Clay County School officials said they’ve had four incidents this year where a student has eaten an edible ingested with drugs. They say they are encouraging students not to eat anything that’s not wrapped in packaging, or not sold at lunch or in vending machines. District officials also say just last month, their police chief addressed this trend occurring across North Florida.