Police have issued a warning about the dangers of cannabis sweets following the death of a 23-year-old woman in Ilford.

She had purchased the sweets via a messaging app on 29 March, and they were delivered to her in ‘child-friendly packaging with Trrlli Peachie O’s branding’ at her home address.

The woman and a 21-year-old friend each ate one sweet, which were made with a synthetic cannabinoid, and both ‘immediately felt unwell’, with emergency services called to the property at around 11.30pm that evening.

Both women were taken to an east London hospital for treatment, but sadly the 23-year-old later died on Saturday 2 April.

The second woman was discharged following hospital treatment.

One man was arrested on Friday 1 April after being found with a ‘large quantity of cash and what were believed to be the edible cannabis products’.

The following day, he was charged the following day with possession with intent to supply Class B synthetic cannabinoid, being concerned in the supply of a synthetic cannabinoid, and possession with intent to supply a psychoactive substance.

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Enquiries are now under way as police try to identify any other cases of people becoming seriously unwell after eating cannabis sweets, gummies and similar products.

Officers are investigating one potentially linked case, in which a woman fell ill earlier in March after eating a cannabis sweet in Tower Hamlets. After being taken to hospital, she was later discharged.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, of the Met’s East Area Basic Command Unit, said: “I must warn the public against taking any illegal substances, including those packaged in the form of cannabis sweets.

“Please do not buy or consume these products. They are illegal and, because of the child-friendly packaging, they can pose a risk of accidental consumption.

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“The particular batch of sweets were contained in packaging featuring Trrlli Peachie O’s branding. It has not been confirmed at this stage where the sweets were manufactured.

“Drug dealers harm communities and risk the safety of individuals. We will take positive action to target those engaged in this activity as well as those found in possession of these substances.”

Bell added: “Anyone with information about people selling illegal products such as these is asked to speak with local officers, call police on 101 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers.”

A drugs expert has expressed concern that a deadly substance could grip the UK after more and more people have started experimenting with it in one particular city.

While there are a whole host of illegal drugs in use out in the world, there are some that are known to be much more dangerous than others.

Crystal meth is often depicted as one of the more extreme drugs, given its extreme addictive qualities and its power to create an intense high, along with a severe comedown.

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The drug can make people feel alert, but also paranoid and aggressive.

Usage can raise the risk of heart attack and severe psychosis, as well as causing more lifelong health issues including strokes and lung, kidney and gastrointestinal damage.

In some cases, coma and death can occur.

In spite of all those risks, though, researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities have found an increase in usage of the drug in Manchester.

People interviewed for the study said there had been an ‘explosion’ of the drug, with one commenting: “From personal experience, being involved in that scene in Manchester, I can certainly say that in the last 12-18 months, there’s been an explosion of use of crystal meth around Manchester.

“Two to three years ago, there’s probably only two to three people supplying it in the area. I currently have on my phone, 23 crystal meth dealers in Manchester. It’s unheard of. There’s probably more, springing up all over the place.”

A number of interviewees said it was common to see the drug, also known as Tina, being smoked openly in Manchester’s Gay Village.

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“You go to the village now and it’s everywhere,” one person said. “You go in the toilets in the bars and people are just openly smoking it, big puffs of smoke, Tina everywhere, it’s so blatant now, they just don’t care!”

Types of the substance being sold include ‘English T’, ‘Hong Kong T’, ‘German T’ and ‘Pink Champagne’.

Dealers are also reportedly selling ‘sex party packages’, combining meth with the depressants GHB and GBL to help users come down, and selling them alongside prescription drugs, such as Viagra and Zopiclone.

One of the authors of the report, drugs expert Prof. Rob Ralphs, expressed fears the drug usage could spread across the country.

“We’ve been talking about crystal meth since the 90s, saying it was going to be the next big thing, the new crack, that it will be used by that same population, but it never happened,” he said. “We had Breaking Bad and it still didn’t happen.

“But what’s different this time is that it’s being made on a large scale in the Netherlands, the Mexican cartels are involved, Afghanistan is involved. All the big players in the drugs trafficking market are there.”

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Noting that it’s ‘mainly men who have sex with men that are using it’ at the moment, he added: “What came up a lot in the research is that a couple of years ago a lot of people were saying they would never touch it.

“People were really negative about it, it was highly stigmatised. Fast forward a couple of years and those same people who were so negative about it are using it.”

Ralphs also drew attention to the reduced price of meth now, with the drug available for as little as £40 per gram in comparison to the previous £120 per gram.

“The result of the drop in price is that it used to be middle aged, affluent professionals, now more teenagers and people in their 20s are using it because it’s cheaper, its affordable,” Ralphs said. “Quite often you see new drugs emerge in the LGBT community, then find their way into the clubs and then move into a wider demographic.”

To help prevent the spread, the researchers stressed the ‘urgent need to educate people about harm reduction approaches’.

The report suggested raising awareness of the drugs and their effects among emergency services, health workers and mental health workers, as well as launching a public health campaign to highlight the risks.

LADbible has contacted Manchester Police for comment on the report.

If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week.

People found to be dealing a dangerous street drug called monkey dust could face a life sentence in prison as officials are considering whether to reclassify it as a Class A drug.

Officially known as a cathinone, ‘money dust’ is a naturally occurring drug found in the khat plant, and is also known by the names M1, Magic Crystals and Methylone.

The ‘dust’ nickname has likely come from the look of the drug, which can usually be found as a fine white, off-white or yellowish powder.

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It’s currently a Class B drug, meaning it’s illegal to possess or sell and could result in five years in prison for possession, or up to 14 years for supply.

However, those sentences could be increased as the UK government is looking at cracking down on the drug following a rise in cases.

The city of Stoke-on-Trent in particular has seen a rise in the number of people using monkey dust, as well as an increase in crimes believed to be linked to the drug.

According to Frank, monkey dust can cause the user to feel euphoria and empathy, as well as increasing alertness, but the drug can also be responsible for making the user anxious and paranoid, as well as reducing inhibitions, which could lead to accidents.

Some users are even reported to have jumped off buildings or tried to eat glass after taking the drug, which can be used as an alternative to drugs like speed, ecstasy or cocaine.

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Stoke-on-Trent South MP Jack Brereton has previously expressed support for bigger penalties for the drug.

He said: “It’s a hallucinogenic drug, and many people’s lives have been completely destroyed as a result of taking this drug.

“There is no treatment for those who become addicted – and it is very addictive. For those who succumb to it, it’s very profound.

“It’s so cheaply available, it’s cheaper than the price of alcohol and people are able to just pick it up readily. We need to see reclassification and put the consequences up for those who are pushing this drug.”

Brereton has claimed that a hit of the drug can cost as little as £2 to buy on the street, but reclassifying it as a Class A drug would mean harsher punishment for users and dealers.

If reclassified, criminals caught supplying monkey dust would face a life sentence, while those found in possession would face up to seven years in prison.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is conducting a review on monkey dust and is set to report back to the government with its findings.

A Brit has warned people who ‘get on it once or twice a week’ of the health consequences after he suffered a heart attack.

TikTok star Tom Birchy opened up to his thousands of followers about his near-death experience at the young age of 22.

He explained he had been recreationally using drugs on a regular basis when he suddenly became gravely ill.

Two years on from his horror health scare, Tom is now on a mission to warn others of the dangers of drug taking.

He explained he has now completely turned his life around after ditching the UK to jet to Thailand for a fresh start.

The social media user previously dubbed himself the ‘King of Leeds‘ when he was living it large up North.

Tom told his followers that he had been working in the music industry at the time and ‘pubs, pints and carrier bags’ were part of his daily routine.

In a recent video, he said: “That’s a weekly or twice weekly occurrence for some people. It was for me when I lived in the UK.

“That was my life – until I had a heart attack aged 22.

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“It can literally happen to anyone. If you indulge in that lifestyle, don’t kid yourself and say, ‘Oh well it’s not going to happen to me’. Because it can.”

He explained that one morning, his arms suddenly became ‘numb and tight’, before the sensation spread to his chest.

“I couldn’t sit down, I couldn’t stand up, I couldn’t lie down,” Tom recalled.

The influencer rang an ambulance and was taken to hospital as a precaution, where he then underwent further tests.

“I was waiting in A&E,” Tom said. “Then someone comes running over to me, gets me in a room and sticks something in my stomach and injects me.

“Later that evening, I found out that I had a heart attack aged 22. Fortunately, I was blessed to have no scarring of the heart – that’s what carrier bags cause.”

He said doctors ‘knew exactly why he was in there’ – as drug abuse can wreak havoc on your blood flow, heart and other organs.

Tom continued: “I’m told that the uptick in men aged 18-30 suffering heart attacks has been staggering.

“And thats down to the carrier bags boys. I was big on it, I was heavy on it and it nearly ruined my life, it nearly killed me.

“Now nearly two years later, my life is so different.

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“So if that’s you, once or twice a week getting on it – take this as a warning boys. It could happen to you.”

His followers applauded the TikToker for his brutal honesty in the comment section, while sharing their own similar experiences.

One said: “Top bloke for saying this tbf.”

Another wrote: “I’m never doing it again, been thinking about this so much lately.”

A third added: “Such a good message. Glad you’re alive Tom.”

Someone else chimed in: “I was diagnosed with heart failure at 18 from it. Heart was working at 10 percent.”

Many praised the lad’s ‘character development’ and said they hope he’s ‘much better now’.