COLUMBUS: A Michigan man has been arrested on a felony drug-trafficking charge after two dozen concertgoers became ill from eating THC-laced candies at a northeast Ohio rap music festival.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Office was holding 28-year-old Matthew Lee Gross, of Ypsilanti, in jail Sunday. A lawyer for Gross couldn’t immediately be identified.
A spokeswoman for OhioHealth hospital in Mansfield said 24 attendees of the EST 2016 festival at Ohio Dreams sports camp in Butler were treated with an overdose antidote Saturday after ingesting the candy packets. THC is the psychoactive compound in marijuana.
The commander of a regional drug task force disagreed with characterizing people’s reactions as overdoses. He said no one lost consciousness.
The festival was dubbed “The Last Weekend on Earth.” Butler is about 60 miles northeast of Columbus.