Pre-teen children hospitalised in Dublin after eating cannabis jellies

Gardaí are conducting enquiries after the children, described as pre-teens, required hospital treatment following an incident at a residence in west Dublin on Sunday.

It is understood three children were involved, and a garda spokesperson said their condition is not life threatening after eating the cannabis jellies, which often appear in packaging designed to look like sweets.

“It’s understood the children became ill having consumed a product advertised as cannabis-infused edibles,” the spokesperson said.

“As this incident involves young persons no further information is available at this time.”

The jellies were branded as ‘Runtz’ sweets. A small quantity of this product has been seized and is being analysed by Forensic Science Ireland.

Jellies infused with cannabis or synthetic cannabis have become increasingly common in recent years.

Health authorities have previously issued strong warnings about such products.

In 2021, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) urged the public to be “extremely vigilant to the dangers of inadvertent consumption, particularly by children, of cannabis edibles, products such as jelly sweets containing the psychoactive cannabis component known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)”.