This photo shows the a ziplock bag containing cannabis jellies eaten by a Korean woman and her younger brother in Seoul. Police said on Wednesday they dropped drug charges against the siblings after concluding that they consumed the edibles from Thailand unknowingly. Yonhap

A woman in her 30s and her younger brother have been cleared of drug charges after eating cannabis jellies without knowing the ingredients, according to police on Wednesday.

The Seocho Police Station in southern Seoul said it dropped the charges against the siblings the previous day after concluding that they ate jellies containing cannabis ingredients at home last month without any intention of violating the domestic drug law.

After consuming some jelly pieces, the brother started having abdominal pain. He was later taken to a nearby hospital where he, along with his sister, tested positive for illegal drugs.

The sister said she brought the jellies from a Thailand store, where she reportedly received them for free after purchasing some mango products.

The transparent packaging of the cannabis jellies showed no indication of illegal drugs, they told police. In fact, the photo shows there are no such signs on the colorful dinosaur-shaped jellies or the ziplock bag.

A marijuana flower bud is prepared for customers at a Dutch Passion shop in Bangkok, in this, June 27, 2023, file photo. AP-Yonhap

Last week, the Ministry of Justice warned Korean tourists and residents in other countries not to smoke marijuana or buy hemp products, saying it could lead to criminal charges when they return home.

This warning comes as an increasing number of countries and territories around the world move to legalize or decriminalize the recreational use of marijuana.

Speaking to reporters last month, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho specifically mentioned cannabis jellies as one of the concerning products Koreans should be cautious of while visiting such countries.