A call has been made for tighter regulation of so-called cannabis jellies, or 'edibles'.
It comes after six children, a 10-year-old and five others who were under 6 years of age, were treated for accidental ingestion of cannabis jellies in the last six months at Temple Street Hospital in Dublin.
Dr Ike Okafor, an Emergency Medicine Physician in Temple Street Hospital said the accidental ingestion of cannabis jellies by children under the age of 10, could have been fatal.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Dr Okafor said he has been working as a consultant in the hospital for 11 years and this year, is the first time he has seen young children come in with serious toxicity from cannabis jellies.
He said most of them were drowsy, three were in a coma, in that they could not be roused.
One child had a convulsion and the breathing of two children slowed to such an extent that they needed intensive care support.
While the edibles look like sweets, smell like sweets and even taste like sweets, they can contain significant levels of the psychotropic cannabis component THC.
Dr Okafor said for an adult, one jelly can contain toxic doses.
He said these jellies look like sweets and their names can mimic the names of standard jellies that are sold in shops.
He said there appears to be gradual acceptance of cannabis jellies in the community and that they are easy to get.
Dr Okafor said that, along with tighter regulation on the sale of these products, a public safety messaging campaign is needed to make people aware of the danger of children of ingesting these jellies.
