NDLEA Warns Parents Over Cannabis-Laced Cookies, Gummies Targeting Children
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has cautioned parents and caregivers to be extra vigilant about the consumption of cookies, gummies and other appealing snacks by children and young people after the arrest of cannabis laced products in Lagos.
The warning came after Nigeria Customs Service officers at the Tin Can Island Port seized two 40-foot containers containing huge quantities of cannabis-infused cookies, gummies and pre-roll products in legitimate imports.
The seized consignment, which was said to be from the USA, was estimated to have a street value of approximately N373.8 million. The products were then turned over to the NDLEA.
Some of the items seized were packaged as colourful, vegan snacks with flavours and designs that could appeal to children and youth, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said.
The concern is not limited to intentional drug use from a child protection and safeguarding point of view. Foods that look like common sweets and snacks can pose a risk for accidental ingestion, especially when children are not able to recognize potentially harmful ingredients in food packaging.
NDLEA said the products are an emerging public health threat and parents should pay closer attention to what kids are eating.
The development underscores the need for parents to supervise children to protect them from harmful substances, and to educate them about the dangers of harmful substances and the need for more stringent measures to prevent children from being exposed to products that are intentionally designed to look like familiar foods.
Parents and caregivers can also help children form safer habits by teaching them not to accept food or sweets from people they don’t know and to ask an adult for help before eating something they don’t know the source or contents of.
The seizure serves as a reminder to child protection stakeholders that there is a need for a coordinated effort between drug enforcement agencies, customs, regulators, schools, parents and communities to keep children away from drugs.
