Parents and students are being cautioned to read the labels on food packages carefully, after yet another cannabis infused snack was detected on the local market.
Education Minister Fayval Williams said the sale of the ganja-laced baked crackers has been brought to the attention of the ministry.
“ Out of an abundance of caution, I am sharing so parents and children can be on their guard,” she said in a post on social media platform X (formerly twitter).
The snack package bears a striking resemblance to a snack currently consumed by Jamaicans.
“Read the labels of what you are buying,” the Minister urged.
Over 60 children from the St Ann’s Bay Primary School were rushed to the hospital after consuming sweets containing cannabis recently.
Some of the students suffered from severe symptoms, including vomiting and hallucinations. The candies, known as ‘full throttle rainbow sour belts,’ each contained 100 milligrams of THC – a dosage considered strong for even adults. Police later launched a search for the lone vendor responsible for selling the sweets to the children.
The incident had raised serious concerns about the accessibility and risks of cannabis-infused products to minors, but Williams has expressed confidence in strengthening safety and security measures to combat the sale of these products to minors.
In 2015, Jamaica decriminalized the possession of up to 2 ounces (57 grams) of marijuana for religious, medicinal, and scientific purposes and established a licensing agency for the country’s legal medical cannabis industry.
