Hong Kong sisters aged 2 and 4 regain consciousness days after eating cannabidiol sweets
- Girls’ mother says girls remain in hospital intensive care unit, adding they are still tired and slow to respond
- Father, 25, has been charged on suspicion of child neglect and drug possession
The sisters are still in the intensive care unit at Tuen Mun Hospital, their mother has said. Photo: Sam TsangTwo sisters in Hong Kong have regained consciousness in hospital, days after a relative allegedly fed the pair sweets containing prohibited cannabidiol (CBD).
The girls’ mother, Selena Miu, on Wednesday wrote in a Facebook post that the girls, aged two and four, were still in intensive care at Tuen Mun Hospital. The sisters were tired and slow in their responses but could now recognise her, hold a conversation and eat, she added.
The Post has learned a 48-year-old cousin of the father allegedly gave them candies by accident. She was earlier arrested on suspicion of child neglect.
One of the sisters recovers in hospital. The mother has said the girls are still tired and slow in their responses. Photo: Facebook/Selena Miu
The girls’ father, 25, has been charged with child neglect and drug possession.
Ill-treatment or neglect of a child is punishable by up to 10 years in jail under the Offences Against the Person Ordinance.
CBD is one of more than 100 chemical compounds found in the marijuana plant. It is also possible to derive it from other non-cannabis botanicals.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...child-neglect?module=hard_link&pgtype=article
According to the World Health Organization, CBD does not appear to have abuse potential or cause harm in its pure state. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), other than CBD, is another active ingredient found in cannabis that gives users a “high” feeling.“Other than CBD products being illegal in Hong Kong … if children as young as two and four consumed CBD sweets meant for adults, it is a serious exceedance of dosage,” Dr Patrick Ip Pak-keung, from the University of Hong Kong’s paediatrics and adolescent medicine department, told a radio programme on Wednesday morning.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...endered-users?module=hard_link&pgtype=article
He added that the side effects of an excessive dosage could include acute toxicity and potentially result in users suffering seizures and to lose consciousness, as well as serious long-term impacts.“In theory, if properly extracted, CBD could be used for medical purposes. Pure CBD could be very helpful for children with epilepsy, for example,” he said.
“Unfortunately, in the extraction of cannabis-related products, it is very difficult to avoid THC contamination. If THC is mixed into the CBD products, such as CBD sweets, users might be poisoned.”
CBD was added to the city’s Dangerous Drugs Ordinance on February 1, which lists more than 200 substances, including cocaine, cannabis, crystal meth and heroin.
