It’s the beginning of 2018 and the world is being taken by storm with the new trend of… eating tide pods. This fad has resulted in over 30 deaths across the nation and has caused many injuries. On Jan. 19, two students at ThunderRidge High School were suspended for contributing to the madness occurring.

According to the Rocky Mountain Poison Control, there have been 134 calls about people ingesting laundry detergent since October and seven cases in Colorado have been reported as intentional.

This trend recently started because of a popular meme. The meme included the use of “the forbidden fruit” in meals such as Oreos and Hot Pockets to promote consumption.

“If people are already aware that they are poisonous, then why put it in your mouth?” sophomore Alexia Ramos said.

There was a rumor set out across the U.S. stating Tide was pulling their product off the shelves on Feb 1. After the rumor was spread, a Tide spokesperson soon explained the rumor was false and Tide Pods would remain a top product of the company. Many students at Vista have different feelings.

“I believe that society today is messed up in a sense that teens use things for the wrong purpose without giving it any thought,” senior Ivan De La Garza said.

Because of this trend, many well known superstores such as Walmart and Walgreens have been locking up their Tide Pods stock in alarm boxes to try and contribute to the solution.

Please, keep yourself safe and do not ingest Tide Pods or any other laundry detergent pod for that matter. If ingested, please call the Rocky Mountain Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.