AN IRISH paediatrician has warned of an increasing number of children being admitted to the emergency room after being poisoned by cannabis jellies - otherwise known as 'edibles'.
It's understood that kids mistake the jellies for sweets and if they ingest enough, they can suffer adverse reactions, which can - as has happened on many occasions recently - leave them hospitalised.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Paddy Fitzpatrick said: "We have seen a significant increase this year in the amount of children presenting with poisoning from edible cannabis, mainly in the form of edible jellies.
"This is a big concern for us in paediatric medicine as these products are packaged and marketed in a copycat branded way, very similar to normal jellies or sweets."
While the edibles look and may even taste like sweets, they contain significant levels of the psychotropic cannabis component THC.
"Young children can easily consume large toxic amounts accidentally," Dr Fitzpatrick explained.
"The symptoms are mild euphoria, some sedation. In more toxic amounts, children can become quite uncoordinated and start getting very sleeping and difficult to arouse and potentially go into a coma or take seizures.
"Thankfully the children we have seen have all made full recoveries but the concern is that long-terms harmful effects are possibility."
He warned parents who might be concerned about their children to phone an ambulance immediately.
See More: Cannabis, Cannabis Jellies
