Irish parents have been warned to be extra vigilant of the effects of Cannabis sweets coming up to Halloween.
A number of children have been hospitalised in recent months for ingesting the drug-infused sweets, and so the Food Safety Authority says adults need to be on alert.
In a statement on Wednesday, the FSAI urged the public needs “to be extremely vigilant to the dangers of inadvertent consumption, particularly by children, of cannabis edibles, products such as jelly sweets containing the psychoactive cannabis component known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).”
There is growing availability in Ireland of these products, in particular jelly sweets that contain significant amounts of the illicit drug THC.
As small children, teenagers and adults will be celebrating the Halloween season, there is an increased risk, particularly for young people, to unwittingly consume these types of products.
They are intentionally packaged to resemble popular brands of jellies in order to avoid detection, and this year to date, six children under the age of ten have been hospitalised having accidentally consumed THC-containing products which looked like normal jelly sweets.
The FSAI said the high concentrations of THC in these edibles can pose serious health risks to neurological, physical and physiological development in kids.
Depending on the THC concentration, eating one of these jellies can mean ingesting a level of THC that is 5-10 times higher than that inhaled when smoking cannabis.
If children manage to consume a bag of these jellies, they will rarely eat just one and therefore, officials warn that overdosing is a very likely outcome.
There is at least a thirty-minute time delay from the consumption of cannabis edibles until the initial effects are felt, and this poses a serious risk to those who have eaten these jellies accidentally.
“Cannabis toxicity can cause cognitive and motor impairment and in the case of children this can be extreme, lasting up to 24 to 36 hours after consumption,” the statement read.
Dr. Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI says the accidental consumption of edible cannabis products by children is extremely worrying.
“We know adults and/or teenagers are ordering these illegal products from online or other illegal sources for their own personal use. However, they often have no understanding of the real health dangers of these products and are careless or reckless in putting young children’s health at risk by allowing them access to these products.
“The prevalence of these edible products containing THC in communities and schools around the country is a growing cause for concern and parents and guardians should be extra vigilant during festivities such as Halloween where parties will be underway, and the risk of accidental consumption of these products is considerably higher.”
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