Parents warned after three children left seriously ill after eating dangerous cannabis sweets
PARENTS have been warned after three kids were left seriously ill from eating dangerous cannabis sweets.
Kids got sick from eating the sweets in two separate incidents in Bradford over the weekend, cops said.
An ambulance was called to a home in Great Horton just after midnight on Saturday where an eight-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were found seriously ill with poisoning symptoms.
Both were rushed to hospital for treatment.
It later emerged that the kids had eaten 'edibles' - sweets laced with THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis.
Both have since recovered and been released from hospital, with cops enquiring as to how they came to eat the sweets.
Meanwhile on Saturday afternoon, cops were contacted by staff at Bradford Royal Infirmary after a 15-year-old boy - also from Great Horton - after he became ill from eating cannabis sweets.
The boy has since recovered, and cops are also trying to find out how he got his hands on the edibles.
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Superintendent Richard Padwell said: "These incidents are obviously a real cause for concern. Although the children involved have recovered after hospital treatment, there were initially genuine concerns for the youngest child that we could have been looking at a tragic outcome.
“We have been aware of cannabis ‘edibles’ being in circulation for some time, and our neighbourhood policing teams and other specialist officers have been actively targeting those involved in their supply, with arrest and seizures and investigations ongoing.
“These recent incidents where the health of children has been put at risk very starkly illustrate the dangers of this particular form of cannabis.
“These ‘edibles’ are professionally packaged like popular brands of sweets which can make them appear attractive to children, yet they often contain a very high dose of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, which means that people can feel very unwell very quickly.
“We would urge parents and carers to be vigilant that these items are in circulation in our communities and to recognise the risks and report any concerns or information to us.
“We are working with our partner agencies, including local schools, to raise awareness of the issue as part of our ongoing efforts to safeguard young people from the use of these and other drugs.
“At the same time, we will continue to proactively target those who are involved in the supply of these items and ensure they face the appropriate criminal penalties.”
SWEET SCARE
Drug dealers are using TikTok and Instagram to sell sweets laced with cannabis.
Parents have been warned their kids could receive packages of the 'edibles' within 24 hours - and they could have devastating consequences.
The craze has seen hundreds of youngsters rushed to A&E every year with heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, paranoia and hallucinations.
And schools are seeing a mega rise in cases, with the number of children being treated for cannabis poisoning almost tripling in seven years.
Because the drugs are eaten rather than smoked, the effects are much slower and sometimes don't surface until hours later.
A 12-year-old girl who ate a Nerds sweet said she was clueless as to how powerful the "high" would be.
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She told : "I was completely freaking out, my stomach flipped, my head was spinning. I couldn’t stop crying.
"I was convinced I was going to die and it’s not something I ever want to go through again."