"Siblings Who Ate Jelly Brought from Thailand Cleared of Charges, Saying 'We Didn't Know It Was Marijuana'"

A brother and sister who were booked by the police after testing positive for marijuana after eating jelly brought from Thailand have been cleared of charges. It was reported that they consumed the jelly without knowing it contained marijuana ingredients. According to Yonhap News, the Seoul Seocho Police Station decided on April 5 not to prosecute a woman in her 30s and her younger brother in his 20s, who had been booked in April on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act.

Siblings who were booked on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act but were cleared of all charges had consumed jelly.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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The siblings shared jelly at an apartment in Seocho-gu on April 10. Afterwards, the younger brother suddenly complained of pain and was transported to the hospital after a 119 emergency call. At the request of the fire authorities, the police who arrived conducted a rapid drug test on the siblings, both of whom tested positive for marijuana. The police booked the siblings on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act.

However, based on witness statements and other investigations, the police concluded that the siblings consumed the jelly without knowing whether it contained marijuana. The jelly they ate was a product containing about 40 colorful dinosaur-shaped gummies, which looked very similar to popular products sold on the market. It was also confirmed that the zipper bag packaging did not have any wording or images suggesting narcotics. The police plan to notify related authorities such as customs about the jelly. This is because, as in the case of these siblings, others may unknowingly consume products containing drugs.

Recently, as the number of jelly and candy products containing marijuana and marijuana-like substances from overseas has increased significantly, related authorities are reportedly paying close attention. The Korea Customs Service cites products with wording indicating marijuana ingredients such as 'hemp' and 'cannabis,' or images/photos of marijuana leaves as examples. However, marijuana products are also being distributed without such wording or images.

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