Kilkenny parents urged to be aware of cannabis laced sweets that hospitalised teenager
Kilkenny parents and residents are being urged to look out for sweets containing cannabis after a teenager was hopsitalised after eating jellies.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) issued a warning letting consumers know about the danger associated with eating edible products containing cannabis.
The FSAI has been made aware of a number of recent incidents whereby edible products containing significant levels of the psychotropic cannabis component, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), were intercepted by An Garda Síochana and Revenue’s Customs Service.
Gardai and the FSAI are worried the manufactures and importers are targeting teens and young adults with the different products.
In at least one incident, sweets containing cannabis oil were consumed by a number of teenagers, one of whom subsequently suffered serious adverse health effects requiring hospitalisation.
The sweets were apparently purchased online with the packaging carrying explicit warnings to eat the sweets cautiously due to the significant concentration of THC present.
Some of the offending products display on their packaging phrases like ‘Sour and Sweet – Then Stoned’.
THC is the psychotropic cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant that results in the euphoric high. THC is a controlled substance in Ireland and people found in possession of the sweets can be arrested under the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977.
FSAI chief executive Dr Pamela Byrne said: [sweets containing THC] are dangerous, particularly for young people and those with prior health conditions who may consume them unwittingly.
“We are warning consumers about the dangers from eating these sweets with cannabis products added. This new development is a sinister attempt to sell narcotics in the form of sweets and those involved are obviously not concerned about the consequences of these products getting into the hands of vulnerable people like children,” Dr Byrne added.
