Sweets containing significant levels of cannabis components are being sold online and have resulted in at least one person being admitted to hospital after suffering serious side effects.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued a warning over the sweets, which have significant levels of the psychotropic cannabis component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
It said gardaí and Revenue have recently intercepted batches of the sweets containing THC, which is a controlled substance in Ireland.
The packaging carried explicit warnings to eat the sweets cautiously and that a significant concentration of THC was present.
The authority said that in at least one incident these sweets were eaten by a number of teenagers and one subsequently suffered serious adverse health effects.
FSAI Chief Executive Dr Pamela Byrne said THC is a toxic contaminant and should not be added to any food.
She said those involved in selling the sweets are not concerned about the consequences of them getting into the hands of vulnerable people like children and described it as a sinister attempt to sell narcotics.
Dr Byrne said the FSAI is warning consumers about the dangers of eating sweets with cannabis products and said people should only ever buy food from reputable sources and check the food labels.
