Parents and guardians have been warned to remain extra vigilant about jelly sweets containing cannabis in the run up to Halloween.
These sweets contain a psychoactive cannabis component known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and are packaged to resemble popular brands of jellies.
The FSAI is urging parents to be cautious as Halloween will bring an increased risk of people, particularly children, unwittingly consuming these types of sweets.
This year to date, it has been reported that six children under the age of ten have been hospitalised having accidentally consumed THC-containing products which looked like normal jelly sweets.
High concentrations (up to 50mg/jelly) of THC in these illicit edible sweets can pose serious health risks, particularly to teenagers and children of all ages whose neurological, physical and physiological development could be impacted negatively.
There are fears that children unaware of these dangers may eat more than one of these sweets which could result in an overdose.
Unlike the almost immediate effects from smoking cannabis, there is at least a thirty-minute time delay from consumption of cannabis edibles until the initial effects are felt.
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.
Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI said: "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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