Toddler in coma after consuming cola sweets laced with cannabis

A toddler fell into a coma after eating sweets from a Haribo-branded bag that were laced with cannabis.

Haribo issued a recall across the Benelux region after the contaminated chews were found in packs in the Twente region.

Local newspaper Tubantia reported that two children of pre-school age were taken to hospital in Almelo and Hengelo after consuming the sweets. One was comatose and had to be transferred to a specialist children’s hospital.

A hospital spokesman confirmed the children were recovering after receiving treatment, but would not give further details.

“Cannabis in sweets can have serious consequences,” the spokesman said. “The children are doing well now, thankfully.”

No further cases of illness have been reported, but Haribo has warned people not to eat sweets from bags from the same batch. The affected packs are 1kg bags of Happy Cola F!ZZ with a use-by date of January 2026.

The prosecution service and the food safety regulator NVWA are also investigating the incident after police found traces of cannabis in three bags bought by regulators. Tubantia reported that the packs were sold by drugstore chain Medikamente Die Grenze.