A spike in hospital visits by young people with bad reactions to powerful, but legal recreational hemp products is believed to be the cause of an abrupt clampdown on their sale.

Figures provided by the Bermuda Hospitals Board showed people under 18 accounting for nearly 10 per cent of emergency room admissions blamed on cannabis and products derived from the drug during 2023-24 — despite assurances of rigorous age-checking by business owners.

Andre Marshall, one of the island’s entrepreneurs in the new industry, who claims now to have more than $60,000 worth of stock impounded by customs, admitted he had heard nothing officially on why the clearance for low-potency hemp products appeared to get reversed in April 2024 — but said he was “sure” it had been triggered by complaints of underage people illicitly obtaining them.

He said he had since discussed the possibility of financial compensation for out-of-pocket hemp business owners with Michael Weeks, the Minister of National Security, whose portfolio includes customs.

The ministry did not respond to questions last week about any talks of breaks for businesses, such as Uplift, that have taken a substantial hit from a regulation change entrepreneurs maintain has never been clarified to them.

Mr Marshall, who was part of a successful court challenge against the Government over hemp products in 2019, told The Royal Gazette he believed cases of “students getting their hands on edibles” prompted a policy switch in April 2024 that clamped down on a business that previously had operated with relative freedom.

“I was made aware of calls coming in about children having to go to the hospital, being asked where they got it from, and the names of businesses coming up,” he said.

“I feel that was made to be an issue. That’s unofficial, but I think that’s the grounds on which they paused everything.”

He said businesses in Bermuda had chosen to set their own policies on checking identification, selling hemp products only to adults.

However, comparing it to alcohol sales where the product could just as easily end up in the hands of people under the legal age, Mr Marshall added: “Once they leave the store, that product is no longer in the store’s hands.”

Hemp products containing less than 1 per cent of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, technically remain approved for importation under Bermuda law — which was affirmed in the 2019 Supreme Court judgment in the case of Mr Marshall’s previous business interest, Infinity Hemp, against customs, the police and the Attorney-General.

Since last April, the national security ministry has rebuffed requests for comment from the Gazette on its policy shift.

Businesses with products seized by customs have complained of similar treatment.

“I never got a concrete answer,” Mr Marshall said. “They just keep telling me there’s no update.”

Leslie Grant, the executive director of the addiction treatment charity Focus Counselling, also ascribed the crackdown to instances of products containing THC reaching young people.

He said: “Despite age restrictions on sales, some young individuals are still gaining access to these products, often through adults purchasing for them or retailers failing to properly check identification.

“Almost a year ago, the authorities made the decision to crack down on the importation of cannabis products that were previously legal to bring into the island.

“This move followed reports of children consuming cannabis-infused edibles and experiencing severe health complications, leading to emergency room visits.

“These incidents highlighted the potential dangers of these products, particularly when consumed by individuals with developing brains.”

Mr Grant added: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way — and right now, too many young people are finding a way to access these products.”

Two hemp businesses whose stock ended up getting seized by customs told the Gazette that they had seen hemp-derived products on the shelves of other companies, claiming the island’s enforcement of an unstated policy appeared to be arbitrary.

No official word has come from the ministry since customs guidance on the hemp policy was removed online in April 2024.

Figures from the BHB provided last week for “cannabis, CBD, edibles, gummies or weed” showed that out of 114 Emergency Room admissions during 2023-24, ten were people under 18, while 16 were in the 18 to 24 age bracket and people aged 25 to 34 accounted for 25 cases — the highest amount, at 22 per cent.

Mr Grant said: “With the rise of cannabis product availability, it’s crucial that we recognise the real dangers they pose to young people.

“Many of these products, especially edibles, can be mistaken for regular snacks, and their delayed effects often lead to overconsumption and serious health risks.

”Additionally, cannabis use in adolescents has been linked to mental health episodes, increased aggression and involvement in violent or criminal behaviours.“

Mr Grant also highlighted the rise in Bermuda of another technically legal product — the herbal drug kratom.

Long used recreationally in East Asia as well as in traditional medicine, it can take users by surprise with psychoactive effects.

Kratom use was cited last November by the Bermuda Police Service in a breakdown of road accidents where occupants of vehicles tested positive for drugs or alcohol, with the report stating the substance was now among drugs “appearing in stores across the island”.

Mr Grant said: “Beyond cannabis, another substance of growing concern is kratom, which is legally sold as a natural energy booster and mood enhancer.

“However, evidence suggests that kratom is neither safe nor effective, particularly for young people.

“Kratom use has been linked to dependency, withdrawal symptoms and severe adverse effects, including nausea, hallucinations and even seizures.

“The lack of regulation and misleading marketing around kratom pose additional risks to vulnerable individuals seeking alternative substances for mood enhancement or stress relief.”