Pot Brownies At Funeral Cause Seniors To Be Hospitalized

An elderly Newport Beach resident was among three people who fell ill over the weekend after eating brownies at a funeral they didn't realize were laced with marijuana.

According to Huntington Beach Police Lieutenant Russell Reinhart, two 71-year old women and an 82-year old man, residents of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, checked into Hoag Hospital's emergency unit about 9 p.m. Saturday after attending a mid-afternoon memorial service in Huntington Beach.

“All of them had consumed brownies that contained marijuana from a memorial service early in the afternoon,” Reinhart said. “And all of them were sickened by them.”

According to police, those attending the funeral were unaware that the brownies contained medical marijuana. However, Reinhart revealed Tuesday that some on hand might have been knowledgeable of the marijuana within the dessert.

“I guess that some of the people at the service knew that these brownies had medical marijuana in them, some didn’t,” Reinhart said. “We went out there and investigated, and from the best we could determine, the brownies were laid out as a tribute to the person who passed away, and that person consumed medical marijuana brownies."

A post on the HBPD Facebook page said the hospitalized senior citizens suffered from nausea, dizziness and had difficulty standing.

Reinhart said they were all released from the hospital by the next day and no further action will be taken.

“Once we realized the details of what had played out, we’re not looking at it as a criminal matter,” Reinhart added. “We didn’t go much further than that. It’s not something that we’re pursuing.”