Nowadays, cannabis comes in all sorts of forms—from drinks, to candies, chocolate, butter, oil, and much more. Unless the packaging is stamped with a huge marijuana leaf, telling it apart from a more innocent product that we use and consume on a daily basis is becoming increasingly impossible.
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That’s exactly why a rising number of children in the UK have been knowingly and unknowingly eating cannabis-infused products that have landed them in the hospital. Some have been specifically mistaking cannabis-infused sweets and candies for their regular treats.
Overdosing on cannabis
The Sun reported that during the weekend, three children in Bradford had to be rushed to the hospital after consuming cannabis sweets. Authorities have been warning the public that these edibles, which are laced with psychoactive THC, are known to be 50 times stronger than a joint—tobacco mixed with cannabis.
On Saturday two children, a 17-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, were taken in the ambulance after they began exhibiting ‘poisoning type symptoms.’ It was then discovered that they both had a bag of Stoney Worms Sour Brite, which contains 400mg of THC in a pack, as reported by Daily Mail.
In a separate incident on the same day, a 15-year-old boy was also admitted to the Bradford Royal Infirmary after eating the similar sweets.
While all of them have now recovered and are out of the hospital, West Yorkshire Police did say that the 8-year-old was in critical condition. Superintendent Richard Padwell said:
These incidents are obviously a real cause for concern. Although the children involved have recovered after hospital treatment, there were initially genuine concerns for the youngest child that we could have been looking at a tragic outcome.
Staying vigilant
The police are now urging parents to be vigilant, especially since the professional packaging of the edibles can be highly misleading. They’re also conducting an investigation to figure out how children are getting their hands on these illegal substances, given that they are not being sold in supermarkets and shops. Padwell continued:
We are working with our partner agencies, including local schools, to raise awareness of the issue as part of our ongoing efforts to safeguard young people from the use of these and other drugs.
At the same time, we will continue to proactively target those who are involved in the supply of these items and ensure they face the appropriate criminal penalties.
