A grandfather in the U.K. accidentally brought a cake laced with marijuana as a thank you gift to nurses at a hospital.

The incident happened on May 27, according to the Warrington & Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which conducted an internal investigation into the incident.

In a statement, the trust said staff noticed a strange smell coming from the cake and called the police, who removed and later destroyed the cake.

A grandfather had shown up earlier in the day with leftover cake from his grandson’s 18th birthday party. He’d brought it to the nursing staff as a way to thank them for taking care of one of his family members.

At first, management at the hospital denied that anyone ate the cake but police confirmed it was eaten on the premises. Management, as well as the Foundation Trust, stated only one staff member had eaten a piece of cake and didn’t suffer any effects from it.

Cheshire Police tested the red velvet cake and confirmed it contained marijuana. When authorities investigated the incident, they learned the grandfather had no idea the cake was laced with cannabis.


While no further action was taken against the grandfather, police gave him some “strong words of advice,” according to the BBC.

In the trust statement, Chief Nurse Kimberley Salmon-Jamieson said management is now working with staff to “exercise caution on receiving edible gifts.”

“To confirm, there were no issues that compromised patient care during the shift relating to the consuming of the cake,” Salmon-Jamieson said.

This story was reported from Los Angeles.