Metal detectorists taken ill eating 'cannabis cakes’ in High Melton – BBC News

Cannabis cake genericImage copyright Getty/Michael Nosek
Image caption Baked goods which are cannabis-infused are sometimes called „space cakes”

A group of metal detectorists had to go to hospital after unknowingly eating cakes apparently spiked with cannabis in a village called High Melton.

Some 13 men and women fell ill at the rally in Doncaster on Saturday night.

A detectorist spokesman said: „People could have died. It was lucky that no children or people on medication with serious health problems ate the cake.”

A 48-year-old woman from County Durham was arrested and later released on bail.

Julian Evan-Hart, editor of Treasure Hunting Magazine, said it was a „dreadful incident” but he did not believe it was malevolent.

’Random lunacy’

„I think it was an irresponsible, poorly thought-through joke,” he said.

„This isn’t a poor reflection on our hobby, the dig organisers or anyone else involved the planning of the event. It’s just a case of random lunacy.”

Image copyright Getty/Sestovic
Image caption More than a dozen people at the detectorist event were said to have „ingested” the substance

A large fleet of medical staff were called to the scene.

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They included eight ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, two doctors, two clinical supervisors and a Hazardous Area Response Team.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said two people were treated on the spot.

’Unknown substance’

It said: „Yorkshire Ambulance Service received an emergency call just before 18:30 BST on Saturday to reports of a number of people feeling unwell at a national metal detecting event…

„They had become unwell after ingesting an unknown substance.”

Mr Evan-Hart said the cakes were homemade, and had not been sold.

Image copyright Google Maps
Image caption The class B drug was inadvertently ingested in High Melton

The 13 people admitted to hospital, who came from across the country, were later discharged.

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