Two 12-year-olds face charges for allegedly selling sleeping pills at school

Getty Images/Tim Boyle

Two 12-year-olds face charges for allegedly selling sleeping pills at school
(Image credit: Getty Images/Tim Boyle)

Whither the lemonade stand? Police in Philadelphia busted two 12-year-old boys for allegedly stealing prescription sleeping pills from a family member and selling them to classmates for $10 a piece.

A school official told KYW-TV that the boys didn't know what they were selling, but they confessed to consuming the Ambien pills themselves. One boy who the pair sold Ambien to was charged with possession of a controlled substance. While the incident is alarming, police said they believe it was an isolated occurrence.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.