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, slapped with two counts of wilfully ill-treating and neglecting children, and also charged with possessing nine cannabis candies
Two 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.
The 25-year-old father, identified as C.K.W. on the charge sheet at Tuen Mun Court, was slapped with two counts of wilfully ill-treating and neglecting two children aged two and four. He was also charged with possessing nine cannabis candies.
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.
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.
