They pose a serious health risk in the wrong hands.

Now the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued a warning for consumers about the dangers associated with eating edible THC products such as jellies or ‘gummies’ after a teenager ended up in hospital.

The warning follows a number of recent incidents whereby edible products containing significant levels of the psychotropic cannabis component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were intercepted by An Garda Síochana and Revenue’s Customs Service.

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

“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 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.

“This new development 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,” said Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI.