A recent report has indicated that there has been an increase in the number of children becoming ill after inadvertently consuming marijuana edibles.
A report was conducted by the American Association of Poison Control Centers. It revealed over 7,000 confirmed cases. This was in connection to children younger than six years old who had eaten marijuana edibles. These cases were reported between 2017 and 2021.
Cases have gone from about 200 a year to 3,000 per year.
“We had an older child ingest an edible and ended up in the hospital with very much paranoid delusions. This child had thought he had died,” stated one doctor in Connecticut.
“They could be falling over, sleeping, difficult to arouse,” another official noted.
“They can get into things. You really can’t rationalize with them. They think it looks like candy…and they just want to eat it.”
To prevent kids from accidentally consuming an edible, retailers must adhere to strict guidelines. These include packaging that doesn’t appeal to those under 21 and child-safe, tamper-resistant and light-resistance, the products must have “THC” clearly stated on them, and they can’t be capsules, pills, or tablets.
One thing to consider is that doctors are mandated reporters. Thus, it is required that they consult with the Department Of Children and Families if a child is seen for ingesting a THC substance.
