A two-year-old girl was hospitalised after she accidentally consumed 10 cannabis-infused gummy bears, with her father pursuing a case against those responsible.

The father posted the incident online on Saturday as a warning to the public. The incident timeline started early this month.

A teacher reported the child’s unusual behaviour at school, saying she looked drowsy, had half-closed eyes and refused to eat lunch, the father said.

The child’s uncle rushed to the school and took her to a hospital, where the doctor could not determine the cause at first.

After a discussion, the family recalled holding a birthday party for the uncle at their home on Tuesday. When they asked the attendees if anyone let the child eat something, a couple admitted bringing cannabis gummies to the party and leaving them at the house.

The estimated amount she consumed was 10 pieces.

The family gave this information to the hospital, leading to a diagnosis of an acute altered response to the plant, along with acute sinusitis.

The child remained unconscious for 24 hours while receiving treatment at the hospital, and was discharged Friday afternoon. However, she was readmitted just hours later due to high fever and persistent hallucinations.

The father is trying to get the couple to take responsibility, including by paying over 50,000 baht in medical expenses, which their insurance refused to pay due to the involvement of narcotics. 

He also expressed concern about long-term effects on his daughter’s brain.

He filed a complaint with Hang Dong Police Station, along with two left-over gummies as evidence, hoping this case will lead to stricter controls on cannabis-infused food and snacks that pose a serious risk to children. 

Following the incident, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin on Sunday instructed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and provincial public health offices, which are fully empowered to act on such matters, to carry out inspections and take legal action against the producers or sellers of any food, snack, beverage or other product containing cannabis extracts that exceed the legal threshold. 

Under current regulations, the production or sale of cannabis-infused food without proper authorisation or labelling carries penalties of up to 30,000 baht in fines, up to three years in prison or both.

If the product is found to contain excessive levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis, offenders may face up to two years in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht or both.