Parents have been warned over cannabis edibles that look like normal sweets after pupils were rushed to hospital in Merton.

Merton Safer Schools Team issued a warning to schools in the borough after a number of pupils reported to suffer from anxiety or pass out after eating the laced sweets.

It is believed that young people are being approached to buy edible drugs through social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram.

Similar incidents took place in Sutton last month, which saw school children hospitalised after being sold cannabis-infused gummy bears.

MORE: Sutton parents warned over laced gummy bears 

In a letter shared to schools, Merton Safer Schools Team said: "Recently Merton Borough along with other London Boroughs has had a number of cases where young people have been approached to buy edibles on social media.

"In some cases, students have eaten these edibles. They look like sweets but contain drugs.

"We have had incidents where young people have suffered hallucinations which triggered anxiety or they have passed out, requiring ambulances to be called.

Your Local Guardian:

"As you may be aware, cannabis can be mixed into cakes (hash brownies), tea, yoghurt or sweets (gummies/lollipops).

"The amount of cannabis in these products can vary greatly and sometimes other harmful drugs are added too.

"The effects of consuming edibles are unpredictable, and it can be very easy to accidentally take a larger dose.

"Edibles take between 1-3 hours to have an effect because food is absorbed into the bloodstream through the liver.

"Because it takes longer, the user may end up consuming larger amounts of the drug while thinking the drug isn't working.

"Overdosing with edibles can be a greater risk because of this!"

Parents are being asked to monitor food wrappers at home and to look carefully for wording such as CBD or THC, which suggest the items are cannabis oil infused.

Police are urging parents to report any social media accounts which are advertising the edibles to the police, school, or Crime Stoppers.

For more information on the effects of cannabis visit Talk to Frank here.