Some pizza lovers like pepperoni, others crave sausage or pineapple. But customers at a Wisconsin pizzeria got a topping they definitely were not expecting: THC.
According to a report recently released by the CDC, at least 85 people who ate at the restaurant in October and “experienced symptoms consistent with THC intoxication.” Seven of those customers were hospitalized with symptoms including dizziness, sleepiness, and anxiety.
There was no consistency with what menu item caused the problem. Customers had eaten pizza, garlic bread, cheese bread, or grinder sandwiches from the shop before suffering symptoms. Unsurprisingly, no one mentioned the munchies.
It didn’t take long to figure out the cause of the issue. According to the CDC, the pizzeria shared a kitchen with a business that (legally) made edible products using THC. The owner of the pizza shop admitted to using the other kitchen’s cooking oil when he was out of his own, not realizing it was infused with the psychoactive chemical.
The pizza parlor voluntarily closed during the investigation, and by all accounts they fully cooperated with authorities during the process. After police determined that the THC pizza was highly unintentional, and no criminal charges were filed. The pizza joint was able to open a few days later after “cleaning and sanitizing following standards in the Wisconsin Food Code.”
