A Cal Poly freshman was arrested Tuesday for allegedly providing and selling the drug Mephedrone to two 15-year-old Templeton boys, according to a San Luis Police Police Department press release.
The sheriff’s narcotics detectives arrested Quinn Hall of Templeton, 18, after the drug sales were traced back to him. More than two pounds of Mephedrone were recovered in the arrest. Hall was released on $100,000 bail and is charged with child endangerment and sales of a controlled substance, according to the press release.
The two boys were hospitalized at Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton on Sept. 11 after ingesting the drug. They experienced symptoms of sore throat, violent vomiting, euphoria, elevated body temperature and agitation.
According to the press release, doctors believe that an effect of the drug was that small holes were created in the boys’ lungs, causing air to escape and vent to the skin.
Hall allegedly sold Mephedrone as a substance similar to the drug Ecstasy. It is a fine white powder that may be mixed in liquid, injected or inhaled. It can also come in tablet and capsule form.
Mephedrone is new to the United States. It is brought into the country from various places, mainly China, said Public Information Officer Rob Bryn.
“It is hard to tell how common this drug is because we don’t find out until someone is medically treated for an overdose,” Bryn said.
Long-term effects of Mephedrone use are relatively unknown because of its short history as a recreational drug.