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Warning as teenager hospitalised after eating cannabis-infused sweets

The Food Safety Authority issued the warning today.

THE FOOD SAFETY Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued a warning about what it has described as the “dangers” associated with eating cannabis-infused sweets. 

The FSAI said it has released this warning following several seizures of edible products containing significant levels of the “psychotropic cannabis component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)”  by gardaí and Revenue in recent months.

In at least one incident, the FSAI said sweets containing cannabis oil were consumed by a number of teenagers, one of whom subsequently suffered serious adverse health effects requiring hospitalisation.

The particular sweets were apparently purchased online with the packaging carrying explicit warnings to eat the sweets cautiously and that a significant concentration of THC was present.

THC is the psychotropic cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant that results in the euphoric high in people who consume it by smoking, vaping or eating.

THC is a controlled substance in Ireland with no tolerance level set in the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977. In food, THC is considered a contaminant, with no permitted threshold in the EU.

According to Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, THC is a toxic contaminant and should not be added to any food.

“Sweets containing cannabis components are being sold online or by other means. They are dangerous, particularly for young people and those with prior health conditions who may consume them unwittingly.

“We are warning consumers about the dangers from eating these sweets with cannabis products added. People should only ever buy food from reputable sources and be sure they check the food labels. THC is not classified as food in the EU and is a controlled substance in Ireland,” said Dr Byrne.

Byrne added that this new trend is “a sinister attempt to sell narcotics in the form of sweets” and those involved are obviously not concerned about the consequences of these products getting into the hands of “vulnerable people like children who could consume these products unwittingly to the detriment of their health,” added Dr Byrne.

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    Mute Charles Windsor
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    Jul 5th 2012, 11:55 AM

    “tackling causes rather than symptoms”. is a no brainer. How many highly paid child protection executives did it take to come up with this statement. How much ink has been spilled by academics to arrive at this conclusion. It appears that we are all badly served by incompetent child protection theories and bodies.

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    Mute siobeli
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    Jul 5th 2012, 12:40 PM

    Am aware of the work done by one of the early intervention programmes mentioned above….interesting this is put out there now as their funding is finishing soon…additionally their stats recently released after 5 years of work are very disheartening, in terms of the lack of progress and engagement of participants.

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    Mute Mark Hamilton
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    Jul 5th 2012, 12:07 PM

    There should be one and only one vested interest in this country and that is the State!nIn the above article we have the following;nChildhood Development CEO…..nPreparing for Life Manager…..nYoungballymun CEO…..nnWe either have a functioning State with all the attendant Services or we don’t but the myriad of Organisations that exist with State funding or just fund raising to remain in existence is simply out of control.nnLike lobbyists they should all be registered and regulated as they soak up so much of our voluntary or State funds.

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    Mute Brenner Murphy
    Favourite Brenner Murphy
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    Jul 5th 2012, 6:16 PM

    You obviously do not know anything of children’s services.

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    Mute Eilish Deegan
    Favourite Eilish Deegan
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    Jul 5th 2012, 12:57 PM

    one subject one topic one focus.. One state agency = one budget one adgenda .. would you ever think a place like Manchester would have so much fragmentation in its service delivery.. time we focused our attentions harder here..

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    Mute Mark Hamilton
    Favourite Mark Hamilton
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    Jul 5th 2012, 2:34 PM

    The reality Eilish is that the vast majority of these quangos came into existence due to pressures from Local TD’s and Ministers because it took the steam out of issues or made it look as if the State Services were being extended. If the State did what it is supposed to and shut down the majority of these organisations we would be about three billion better off!

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