Teenagers eating sweets and chocolate "laced with cannabis" in a "dangerous new trend" in south Dublin.
There are fears that teens in Clondalkin could accidentally take dangerous amounts of the drug and possibly even end up in hospital from eating the sugary treats.
The issue was raised by local TD Emer Higgins in a Dail debate on national drugs strategy after she was contacted by a number of worried parents in her constituency.
She said: Avoiding the foul taste of tobacco, young people are attracted to gummy bears and chocolate laced with cannabis.
“This is problematic for a number of reasons. First of all, the sugary taste of sweets and chocolate is clearly more attractive to children who may never experiment with cannabis if they were forced to smoke it.
“Secondly, it takes far longer for people to feel the impact when eating cannabis.
"While the impact of smoking is immediate, the impact of eating cannabis is not felt for up to an hour.
"Teenagers eat a square of chocolate laced with cannabis, feel no impact and then eat the rest of the bar.
"As a result, they accidentally over-consume dangerous amounts of drug. By the time the effects are felt, the teenager is in it over their head."
The Dublin TD added that there was no antidote for over-consumption of cannabis, which could lead to a "terrifying" experience for a teenager and their parents.
“The effects of edible cannabis last far longer than smoked cannabis – as long as twelve hours.
"If the cannabis triggers psychosis or hallucinations, that leads to hell for the teenager."
“This is why edible cannabis puts a disproportionate number of people in hospitals.”
Deputy Higgins urged Minister of State for Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan to work to raise awareness among young people about the dangers of edible cannabis.
