Nigerian Student, 23, died from eating cannabis gummy after asking dealer “is it really strong?”

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Dallas, Texas

Damilola Grace Olakanmi fell ill immediately after eating one gummy that she had purchased online. The 23-year-old student died after suffering cardiac arrest and brain damage

A 23-year-old law student died after eating a single cannabis gummy she bought from an online dealer, a court heard.

Damilola Grace Olakanmi, from Ilford, east London, fell ill immediately after eating one gummy that she had purchased through a messaging app. The young woman, who studied at Hertfordshire University, was rushed to Queen’s Hospital, Romford, on March 29, 2022.

She tragically died after suffering a series of cardiac arrests and brain damage caused by synthetic cannabinoid toxicity, a class B drug known as “spice”. An inquest heard Damilola’s mother Wumi was woken up by a “loud noise” and when she went upstairs, she found her daughter unconscious on the floor of her bedroom.

The student was with a friend visiting from the US when they ate the gummy sweets and fell gravely ill. Her mother said in a police statement after the tragic incident: “At around 10 to 11pm, I was woken up by a loud noise. I went upstairs to Grace’s room and I saw her on the floor. She didn’t appear to be breathing.”

The death was concluded as having been caused by drug misuse. Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe told the inquest in Walthamstow, East London: “This is the utterly tragic case of a 23-year-old girl consuming synthetic cannabis and having a very serious reaction.

“She died as a result of 1A synthetic cannabis toxicity. On March 29, 2022, Grace consumed cannabinoid gummies at her home address in Ilford. She collapsed, was taken to Queen’s Hospital, Romford, where she sadly died on April 3. My conclusion is that the death is due to drug misuse. I convey my deepest condolences to the family.”

On the day Damilola ingested the gummies, she had messaged the dealer asking: “Can I have two packs of 600mg gummies for tonight please. And are they really strong?” The dealer replied yes to both questions, the inquest heard.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell said: “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. 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.”

The Met’s East Area Basic Command Unit issued a warning to the public about the dangers of illegal drugs in general, but especially those packaged as “cannabis sweets”.

A spokesperson for drugs education charity Hope UK said: “Often the packaging of these products looks very similar to well-known brands of confectionery that appeal to children, therefore, one can only assume that they are being marketed to young people. The main problem with any products sold as cannabis edibles, sweets or ‘gummies’ is that they are illegal substances and as such, there is no way of knowing what exactly they contain… It is certainly something that parents, schools and young people should be made aware of.”

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