Four children taken to hospital after eating sweets 'containing cannabis'
1 May 2021, 20:34 | Updated: 2 May 2021, 08:33
Four children have been taken to hospital after eating sweets which are believed to have contained cannabis.
Three of the children, a boy and girl aged 12 and a 13-year-old boy, suffered a "violent reaction" from the jelly sweets, Surrey Police said.
They were vomiting uncontrollably and falling in and out of consciousness when officers arrived, the force said.
They were taken to hospital by ambulance and another 12-year-old boy was taken to hospital by his family as a precaution because he is also believed to have eaten the sweets.
All four children will remain in hospital overnight for observation.
Officers were called at 2.15pm on Saturday by the South East Coast Ambulance Service to the parade of shops in Pound Lane, Epsom.
It is believed the sweets may have been supplied to the children at the nearby Court Recreation Ground.
Police do not have a clear description of the sweets involved, although a similar report from Friday night involved "jelly apple rings" which appear as green jelly circles.
Detective Sergeant Lee Marks, of Surrey Police, said: "We are, of course, trying to understand what these sweets are, where they came from and what they contain.
"However, our immediate priority is to warn parents; and to tell children in the area not to be tempted to try them as they are obviously causing substantial harm.
"These types of products, which may be marketed as 'cannabis infused' or 'CBD infused' are illegal, and therefore unregulated, in the UK.
"They can appear to be commercial products with professional packaging, but this should not be taken as a sign that they are safe or legal."
Anyone who is concerned about the health of someone they believe may have taken these products can call NHS 111 or 999 in an emergency.
Anyone with information about the supply of these sweets in the Epsom area is asked not to destroy them but to contact Surrey Police via the online chat on www.surrey.police.uk quoting reference PR/P21090934.
People can also call Surrey Police on 101 or, in an emergency, ring 999.
