The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has warned parents to be vigilant over sweets containing cannabis ahead of Halloween.
Six children under the age of ten have been treated in an eight-week period after ingesting the product, which is packaged to look like regular jelly sweets.
In its warning about the jellies, the FSAI said: "Cannabis edibles are illegal food products containing THC and come in many forms, but primarily jelly sweets.
"THC is a controlled substance in Ireland with a zero tolerance under the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977.
"Furthermore, in food, THC is considered a contaminant, with no permitted threshold in EU or Irish food law."
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Philip Boucher-Hayes, FSAI Chief Specialist for Food Science & Technology Dr Pat O'Mahony said some cannabis sweets are packaged to look like Haribo jellies, but have the name Caribo.
He said that children who eat the drugs tend to get very drowsy and could potentially fall into a coma.
He said that if parents notice their children behaving strangely before falling into a deep sleep, they should go to an emergency department.
Dr O'Mahony said the long-term effects on children are unknown.
However, he pointed out that a child's neurological system is still developing and a blast of the chemical could be damaging to their developing brains and nervous system.
