An entire family of 14 people in a small Polish village suffered suspected cannabis poisoning after accidentally cooking their Christmas meal using hemp oil that their late grandmother had mixed with olive oil and left in the fridge.
The affected individuals, aged 3 to 78, have now all been discharged from hospital. Health authorities will further examine the oil, which has been confiscated.
Emergency services were initially called to the household in Mroczki-Stylongi, a village of just 27 people in eastern Poland, on Christmas Eve after the family reported symptoms consistent with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
However, fire brigade checks ruled out such a threat, and all 14 family members – four children and ten adults – were taken to local hospitals for testing.
The following day, police disclosed that traces of THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis, had been detected in the patients’ systems. Recreational cannabis use is illegal in Poland, punishable by three years in prison. Medical cannabis has been legal for prescribed medical use since 2018.
A police search of the home, assisted by a sniffer dog trained to detect narcotics, yielded no illegal substances. However, the officers did find bottles containing hemp oil, including one in which it was mixed with olive oil.
“Everything indicates that the THC-containing oil came from a legitimate source, as the vials we secured were wrapped in prescriptions,” local police spokesman Tomasz Krupa told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) on Friday.
“This cooking oil, probably by complete and unfortunate coincidence, was used in the preparation of Christmas Eve dishes, such as frying,” he added.
Family suffer cannabis poisoning after accidentally cooking Christmas dinner with grandma’s hemp oil
