A US pizzeria has apologised after a kitchen staff member accidentally used cannabis oil in a batch of dough that left customers high.
Dozens of pizzas were contaminated with THC at the Wisconsin restaurant and five diners required medical treatment after consuming the drug.
Famous Yeti’s Pizza wrote on social media: “We sincerely apologize (sic) for any inconvenience or harm caused.”
THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis and is responsible for the “high” effect.
Symptoms of THC exposure can include vomiting, nausea, anxiety and hallucinations as well as dizziness, which can cause quite a shock if unprepared.
Health officials identified the cause of the customers' health complaints after investigating for carbon monoxide exposure.
The truth emerged when one particularly observant diner described the experience as similar to consuming a cannabis edible.
Tests for THC were then conducted in the kitchen, which came back positive.
At a later hearing, Public Health Madison & Dane County found that a chef had run out of oil and used a batch from the shared kitchen.
The chef hadn’t noticed the warning label indicating it contained Delta-9 cannabis.
Cale Ryan, the owner of Famous Yeti’s Pizza, said in a statement: “Sixty contaminated pizzas were unknowingly served. The commercial kitchen supports multiple small food entrepreneurs, including a business that creates products containing Delta-9.”
The statement added: “We want to assure you that all affected products have been destroyed. Famous Yeti’s is working closely with local authorities to improve our storage and security protocols to prevent this from happening again and to guarantee the safety of our customers.”
Bonnie Armstrong, director of environmental health at Public Health Madison & Dane County has advised sufferers to call 911 if their symptoms worsen.
“We want to be sure anyone who has this pizza on hand throws it away so they don’t get sick,” she said.
