A 16-year-old boy in Western Kentucky was arrested Wednesday after a girl was hospitalized in an overdose incident linked to a THC vaping device, according to police.
The McCracken County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that a teenage girl showed signs of an overdose at a school Monday afternoon. School officials and other witnesses noticed and called for medical personnel, according to the sheriff’s department.
The girl was taken to a local hospital, and the sheriff’s department said she recovered from an overdose.
The news release said the girl later told investigators she and a friend went to a house on Metropolis Lake Road in West Paducah, and someone gave them a vaping device containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in marijuana.
The girl said when she used the device, she immediately felt sick. She was then taken to the school and left there by another teen, according to the release.
Detectives interviewed witnesses over the following two days and obtained a search for the home on Metropolis Lake Road, according to the sheriff’s department.
A search of the home Wednesday afternoon turned up THC vaping devices, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and other evidence, authorities said.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested at the home and faces charges of marijuana trafficking, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the release.
He was placed in the McCracken County Juvenile Detention Center, according to authorities.
The McCracken County incident occured as health officials warn of more than 800 reported cases of a vaping-related lung illness that has swept across the country, killing at least 15 people.
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services said last week it was investigating 20 reported cases of the illness, with one confirmed case.
In Kentucky: Officials confirm 1 case of vaping-related lung illness sweeping the US
More: Louisville officials warn youth to quit e-cigarettes amid epidemic
The vaping industry has repeatedly link the illness to black market products that include THC.
The CDC has acknowledged that THC is playing a role in the outbreak. According to its most recent update, data secured from 514 affected patients showed that about 77% used THC-containing products.
Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.