Five people were hospitalized in Evanston Saturday afternoon after they became ill from eating brownies that officials suspect were laced with marijuana.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Evanston Fire Division Chief Tom Janetske says ambulances were called to an apartment in the 1700 block of Chicago Avenue around 4 p.m. to transport the victims, who he said were all at least 19 years old.

It wasn’t immediately known whether the victims were Northwestern University students. The school was holding its annual Dillo Day festival on the lakefront Saturday, an event that has led to complaints from neighbors about excessive drinking and other roudy behavior in the past.

In a similar incident last February, a half-dozen students at Evanston Township High School were hospitalized after they ate home-made brownies laced with marijuana.

One student was charged as a juvenile with drug possession in connection with that incident.

Original story

Bill Smith is the editor and publisher of Evanston Now.

Join the Conversation

2 Comments

  1. Brownies laced with marijuana

    Again the media is positioning fear to the readers. The continued desire of those who are trying to offer widespread fear about marijuana.  Because marijuana is still illegal, the brownies could have been laced with other drugs, which is more likely because something was purchased illegally.  Or the food itself could have had a bad ingredient.

    Anyone who knows  of this event understands  there is wide spread drinking of wine and spirits, which is proven to cause vomiting.  To offer a headline like this is simply ridiculous  when know one knows which drug of choice actually caused the sickness.

    Thousands of people everyday who are severely ill with nausea from chemotherapy treatments are using medical cannabis to help them control the nausea and sickness they endure during these treatments. These treatments of which have been designed by the medical community to help save people, however defined it promotes additional illness, for which medical cannabis is the savoir.

    Evanston Now should report the facts and not inference. 

    1. Get off your soapbox

      lol, get off your soapbox. we all know that pot is basically harmless and that underage drinking is a bigger problem in Evanston. 

      there was nothing but the facts of the situation in the article. calm down and go smoke a fatty

Leave a comment
The goal of our comment policy is to make the comments section a vibrant yet civil space. Treat each other with respect — even the people you disagree with. Whenever possible, provide links to credible documentary evidence to back up your factual claims.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *