'The child had to sneak in and take it'

One Orland teenager was hospitalized and two others became ill after reportedly eating a marijuana-laced cookie last week.

The students, whose names are withheld because they are minors, reported becoming ill Friday morning at Orland High School after reportedly splitting one cookie apparently made from butter or margarine containing concentrated amounts of cannabis, Orland police Chief Paula Carr said.

The butter was reportedly purchased from a medical marijuana dispensary in Oakland, police said.

A 14-year-old female student reportedly stole the cookie from her mother's bedroom, brought it to school and ate half herself before splitting the remaining half between two 17-year-old male students, whom she reportedly charged $5 each, Carr said.

The girl's mother, Yuma Vuono, has a valid marijuana recommendation under Proposition 215, police said.

"There was no negligence on the part of (Vuono)," Carr said Monday.

Carr said school officials described the 14-year-old girl as an otherwise "good student," and were surprised she would be involved in this situation, Carr said.

Vuono reportedly kept about 23 marijuana cookies in a secured Tupperware container in her locked bedroom. Only one cookie was missing, Carr said.

"The child had to sneak in and take it," Carr noted.

However, Vuono could still face criminal prosecution if investigators determine she was keeping more marijuana or if the cookies themselves prove to have a higher concentration of marijuana than the law allows.

"If it turns out to be more than Prop. 215 allows, we'll certainly pursue charges," Carr said.

The student faces a possible felony charge of selling less than 1 ounce of marijuana, police said.

Carr called the incident a reminder for people to secure all their medications.

"It can be dangerous, especially if you don't know how your body is going to react, and those pills can easily fall into the wrong hands."

Contact Rob Parsons at 934-6800 or rparsons@tcnpress.com.