[S]helburne Farms employees who fell ill and were found lying in a parking lot have been released from the hospital and guests who left behind the marijuana edibles that caused the commotion have been let off the hook, according to the hotel and police.
“We are pleased to report that both Farm employees involved in this incident have been released from the hospital and are expected to fully recover,” Holly Brough, director of communications for Shelburne Farms, said in an email.
The employees thought they were eating candies left behind by a guest at the Inn at Shelburne Farms. “What the employees didn’t know is that the candies contained marijuana which caused them to become ill,” she wrote.
Shelburne Police responded to the scene at 8:22 p.m. Sunday night.
“According to the complainant an employee had become ill and was lying in the parking lot. When Officers arrived it was determined two employees had become ill after eating chocolates,” police said in a statement.
“The investigation revealed the chocolates were in fact marijuana edibles,” it said.
The employees were taken to the UVM Medical Center for evaluation and released by the next day, when news stories about the incident had quickly spread online.
Police included a warning in their statement on the incident, caused by edibles that looked like “Whoppers” Malted Milk Balls.
“Many of the edibles available will have the same appearance as everyday food items,” it said. “If a person does possess marijuana edibles, please make sure the edibles are kept secure and out of reach of children and unwilling participants.”
Marijuana is still illegal in Vermont, for another two weeks, without a medical prescription. However, police said the inn guests were not facing charged.
On July 1, it will become legal in Vermont to possess less than one ounce of marijuana and to grow a limited number of plants. It will also be legal to gift weed, though it is still illegal to sell it.
Brough of Shelburne Farms said the inn would also be taking some steps to make sure the problem didn’t happen again.
“Following this incident, we will be reviewing our staff training programs to ensure that all employees understand this expectation,” she wrote. “Our priority is protecting employee and guest privacy and we thank everyone for their concern.”
