Ahead of the Halloween festivities, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) are urging parents and guardians to be aware of the presence of cannabis edibles in communities.
Products such as jelly sweets containing the psychoactive cannabis component known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are becoming more common in Ireland, with the levels of illegal substances present in them also rising.
Cannabis edibles are illegal food products containing THC and come in many forms, but mainly jelly sweets.
These sweets are very well disguised as popular brands of jellies, and the differences would be almost undetectable to a child.
In 2021 six children, all under the age of ten, have been admitted to hospital after accidentally consuming THC-containing products which looked like normal jelly sweets.
Children who consumed these jellies and are not aware they contain THC will rarely eat just one and due to this overdosing is a very likely outcome.
There have also been reports of teenagers falling seriously ill, and being hospitalised after having seizures and becoming unconscious from overdosing on these cannabis edibles.
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.”
We welcome any information from the public in the national effort to curb the availability of these illegal products and to protect our children and young people. We can be contacted through our online complaint form at www.fsai.ie/makeitbetter.”
