Department of Education issues warning that cannabis sweets in circulation in NI - ‘children could suffer hallucinations, nausea or vomiting’

The Department of Education (DE) said a young child had to be assessed in hospital after they “inadvertently consumed cannabis” when eating the sweets.

The warning came in a letter to all school principals from the Department of Education.

The letter, according to the BBC, warned that children could suffer hallucinations, nausea or vomiting if they ate the sweets.

The department said it was writing to schools after receiving a warning from the Public Health Agency (PHA).

“They are aware of products that look like familiar sweet products with colourful packets, familiar cartoon images and which are appealing to children, but that in fact contain cannabis extract, or THC (the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis),” the letter said.

‘Longer lasting effects’

“A young child assessed in hospital had inadvertently consumed cannabis after finding what they believed to be a packet of sweets on the ground.

“While on closer inspection the sweet packet is labelled as containing THC, to all other purposes they look like a common brand of sweets which are marketed for children.

“The effects of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) involves the central nervous and cardiovascular systems,” the DE letter continued.

“In adults the effects are generally mild and short-lived but ingestion rather than inhalation is associated with longer lasting effects.”