THC-contaminated pizza made some Wisconsinites sick this week

A Dane County restaurant inadvertently sold pizzas containing THC this week, according to a notice put out by local health officials.

Public Health Madison & Dane County put out a public notice Thursday warning that pizzas purchased from Famous Yeti’s Pizza in Stoughton between Oct. 22 and Oct. 24 could have been accidentally contaminated with the drug. 

“We want to be sure anyone who has this pizza on hand throws it away so they don’t get sick,” said Bonnie Armstrong, director of environmental health at Public Health Madison & Dane County. “If you ate the pizza and are experiencing THC-related symptoms, please contact your health care provider or call 911 if your symptoms worsen.”

On Thursday, Stoughton Area EMS told the local health department they helped five people who had all eaten pizza from Famous Yeti’s who had symptoms emergency workers initially believed could be carbon monoxide poisoning. Since then, the department said they have received dozens of reports from the public.

According to the statement from the health department, on Oct. 22, an employee at the pizza shop ran out of oil and fetched a jug from a shared kitchen. The shared kitchen had Delta-9 cannabis products from a nearby business.

The oil jug looked like other cooking oils, and the employee didn’t notice a label on the cap that said the oil contained Delta-9 cannabis, the health department said. 

In an emailed statement, the owner of Famous Yeti’s Pizza, Cale Ryan, apologized for any harm the mistake caused. 

“We are grateful for the support of our community as we navigate how to support individuals affected by the contamination,” Ryan wrote. “The incident resulted from the incorrect oil being mistakenly used from a cooperative commercial kitchen to prepare a batch of dough. Between 10/22-10/24, 60 contaminated pizzas were unknowingly served. The commercial kitchen supports multiple small food entrepreneurs, including a business that creates products containing Delta9.”

The oil was derived from legal hemp, according to the health department’s statement.

“There is no regulation requirements for products derived from the hemp plant. This is a legally purchased product and the vendor whose oil was on the shelf is licensed through the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection,” the statement said. “This product doesn’t face the same laws and regulations as marijuana because it comes from the hemp plant. The oil can be used to make everything from cookies to condiments.”

Stoughton Police Chief Dan Jenks said their investigation is in the early stages. 

“We’re still in the process of investigating everything. There doesn’t appear to be any malfeasance or anything criminal at this point, ” Jenks said. 

He said people who ate the pizza should report it to Public Health Madison & Dane County.

Symptoms of THC include “dizziness, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, hallucinations, short term memory impacts, time distortion, and sleepiness”, the health department said. 

The health department said the concentration of THC in the contaminated pizzas could vary by the slice. 

“As you can imagine, it’s very disorienting and concerning to have THC-related symptoms when you do not know you’ve eaten product with THC,” the department’s statement said. “We don’t know the dosage in the pizza and so reactions for some could be quite strong or unpleasant.”