Goldfish crackers from day care found to have presence of THC after 1-year-old kids taken to the hospital

Three 1-year-old kids were taken to the hospital last month after being exposed to THC, according to a Facebook post from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office in Virginia.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, "THC is the substance that’s primarily responsible for the effects of marijuana on a person’s mental state."

The common thread linking the three families together was an in-home day care provider, according to the sheriff's office. Goldfish snack crackers obtained from around the kids' high chairs were found to be tainted by THC.

"On March 2nd Deputy A.J. Deasy responded to Stafford Hospital Center for several toddlers with exposure to THC. Three children, all one year of age, were taken for treatment in the emergency room after their parents observed lethargic and uncoordinated behavior as well as glassy, bloodshot eyes," the social media post from the sheriff's office explained.

"Hospital staff quickly recognized the symptoms and testing confirmed each child had been exposed to THC. THC is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that produces the high sensation. The connection between the three families was a licensed home day care provider in Windsor Forest subdivision," the post continued. "Detective A. Sanchez conducted a search at the day care and collected gold fish crackers around the high chairs of the toddlers. These crackers were sent to the lab for testing and confirmed the presence of THC."

The day care owner was charged on several counts of cruelty and injury to kids.

"Child Protective Services was notified and became involved in the case. The day care subsequently voluntarily surrendered their license. As a result of the investigation, Rebecca Swanner, 60, the day care owner, has been charged with 3 counts of cruelty and injury to children. She self-surrendered on April 14th and was released by the magistrate on a $2,000 unsecured bond," the sheriff's office noted.