Family eats LSD-tainted meat

A family of four in Florida were rushed to hospital after unknowingly ingesting LSD-laced meat which they ate for dinner.

Police investigating the incident revealed on Friday the packaging of the steak the family bought from local Walmart contained traces of the hallucinogenic.

Tampa Bay man Ronnie Maroles, 24, first began to feel ill after eating dinner on Monday night when his 31-year-old girlfriend Jessica Rosado drove Mr Maroles and her two sons to St Joseph's Hospital.

When they arrived, Ms Rosado — who was nine-months pregnant — and her two sons, one six and one seven years' old, also began to experience hallucinations, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

"It was the physical symptoms they had, which included hallucinations, dizziness, rapid heart rate and difficulty breathing," Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said at a news conference.

"The family has no idea where this may have come from and there's no indication of any involvement on the part of the family," she said.

The family had to be intubated, and Ms Rosado gave birth to a baby boy who reported to be healthy and medical staff are "optimistic" a one-off ingestion of LSD would little impact on the baby's health.

The laced steak was the first meal the family had cooked in their new home which they had moved into only two days before their intoxication.

Unaware of the source of the poisoning, police impounded the family's stove and other items before they discovered traces of the drug in the meat packaging.

Walmart voluntarily removed meat from the store's shelves and handed it over for testing.

A company spokeswoman said she was "deeply concerned" about the situation that so far appears to be an isolated incident.

Chief Castor said there was no obvious evidence of tampering with the packaging and the store's security footage is being reviewed.

Source: Tampa Bay Times
Author: Nicholas McCallum, Approving editor: Jack Hawke