AN anti-drugs group has criticised the introduction of a cannabis lollipop that could be sold in North-East shops.

Glasgow firm Uraeus has developed the sweet that tastes like marijuana, but does not contain the chemical that makes users high.

It is being targeted at gift shops and alternative lifestyle shops that sell cannabis smoking paraphernalia.

Uraeus said the lollipops should only be sold to over-16s and has no plans to supply sweet shops.

But the firm's owner Ali Khan says they could go on sale at newsagents around the country if a deal with a store chain in Germany is successful.

David Cliff, co-ordinator of the County Durham Drug Action team, said that the product would send a mixed message to young people about drugs.

"One has to question the ethics of any profit-making organisation that, simply as a novelty, find ways to exposing young people to aspects of the drug culture.

He said manufacturers and retailers had as much a part to play in reducing demand for drugs as the police and drug treatment agencies.

Mr Khan said: "You can get sweet cigarettes and other products like that. They don't encourage cigarette use. You can abuse anything on the planet such as aspirin and paracetemol."

A spokeswoman for Durham County Council Consumer Services said if the product went on sale it would be analysed to ensure it was safe.