TOT SWALLOWS ILLEGAL DRUGS FROM PARENTS' STASH

An 18-month-old boy was recovering in a hospital yesterday after he
was found to have eaten illegal drugs he found in his parents'
cupboard, the Surete du Quebec said.

The boy was rushed to the hospital Monday after police responded to a
call to the parents' home in Uashat, an aboriginal community near Sept
Iles, 900 kilometres east of Montreal.

They found the boy unconscious and having breathing difficulties. He
was immediately taken to a hospital centre in Sept Iles, where doctors
say his life is not in danger.

An investigation showed the boy consumed PCP, a hallucinogenic drug,
which he found in a kitchen cupboard.

The boy's parents were arrested Monday afternoon and released
yesterday under strict conditions, according to the provincial police.

The parents could face charges of criminal negligence, possession of
PCP with intent to traffic drugs and possession of
amphetamines.

The boy was referred to Quebec's youth services.