Toddler reacts to narcotics after play at Burfoot Park

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) wants to dispel rumors circulating in social media concerning a 21-month-old child who tested positive for amphetamines.

The TCSO said in a news release that Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma reported that a toddler tested positive for amphetamines on July 12.

The Drug Enforcement Administration defines amphetamines as “stimulants that speed up the body’s system. Some are legally prescribed and used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).” Methamphetamine is a Schedule II regulated drug, often illegally used for recreation.

“The child was exposed to amphetamines and not methamphetamines, which are similar, but two separate substances,” the TCSO said.

The child was taken to the hospital by his parents after he began acting erratically, struggling to sit still or sleep. He has since been released and is recovering well at home.

The toddler’s mother told law enforcement that they were at Burfoot Park for nearly two hours on July 11. The child played in the water and had been acting oddly by dinner time.

The mother believes that her son ingested something at the park because he was touching things then putting his hands into his mouth.

The TCSO said it was not investigating the parents as there is no suspicion of negligence on their part.

There were also no signs of narcotic use at the park, the TCSO added.

The TCSO said it issued a media release about the incident to “clear up any questions” amid the spread of “social media posts with varying information, some factual and some not that has created a significant amount of media attention.”