MIAMI, March 23, 2004

Boy, 5, Takes Marijuana To School

And Uses It As A Spice On A Schoolmate's Lasagna

  •  (AP)

  • Interactive Substance Abuse In America

    Get the facts on a national problem. Find out where to get help, learn how drugs affect the body and compare state drunk-driving laws.

  • Interactive Education In America

    Backpack ready? Learn more about education in America through fun facts, national statistics and unusual schools.

(AP)  A 5-year-old boy took a bag of marijuana to school and was sprinkling it over a friend's lasagna like oregano when a monitor intervened, police said.

The lasagna was confiscated before the other boy had a chance to eat it Monday in the cafeteria at Gratigny Elementary School.

Police said it was unclear whether the boy even knew what he was carrying, although he tried to hide the bag when the monitor approached.

The boy "may have said it was oregano," said Mayco Villafana, spokesman for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Police and child welfare authorities were investigating the boy's family. "The focus is on the child's environment and what issues could have led to a child having a bag of marijuana in school," Villafana said. Police also were looking into whether an older friend may have asked the boy to hold the bag.

Also on Monday, authorities in Indianapolis said a 4-year-old boy took crack cocaine that police said was worth up to $10,000 to his preschool class and showed it to classmates, saying it was flour.

Teachers realized it was cocaine and called authorities.

"This could have killed these kids," said police Sgt. Roger Tuchek.

Indianapolis police said Tuesday they were still seeking the boy's parents, Kenneth Lee Green, 24, and Andrea D. Jackson, 23. Jackson was wanted on a warrant for failing to appear in court, court records showed. Green had been convicted of carrying an unlicensed firearm, resisting law enforcement and marijuana possession.


© MMIV The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Exclusive Webshow

Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie." Watch Now

Latest News
News in Pictures
Scroll Left Scroll Right
Connect with CBS News

Stay connected with the CBS News using your favorite social networks and online news applications: