The number of young children accidentally ingesting cannabis edibles has increased dramatically in the United States in recent years, as recreational cannabis has become legal in more and more states.
In 2017, just over 200 children as young as 5 years old or younger were reported after consuming a cannabis product, compared with more than 3,050 cases in 2021, according to a study published Tuesday in the scientific journal Pediatrics. That’s an increase of more than 1,300%.
These products are also called edibles and often come in the form of kid-friendly candy, chocolate products or cookies.
This work, based on a national database, advocates for more prevention on the issue among parents, as well as stricter packaging regulations for these products.
If no deaths were recorded in the five-year period studied (about 7,000 cases in total), these accidents can be dangerous for young children, especially because of a very high dosage for their low weight.
The average age of the affected children was 3 years.
About a quarter of the children had to be hospitalized, 8% of them in the intensive care unit.
Symptoms caused included central nervous system depression (including coma), tachycardia (abnormally rapid heartbeat), and vomiting.
The children were treated in particular by intravenous administration of fluids.
The increase in the number of such intoxications is “associated with an increase in the number of states allowing adult recreational use of cannabis,” the study said. Only eight US states and the capital Washington approved it in 2017, compared to 18 states at the end of May 2022.
The Covid-19 pandemic may also have played a role, as children stayed home more and therefore had more opportunities to be exposed to these products.
More than 90% of the intake took place at the child’s home, according to the study.
“Ideally, these products should be kept in a place unknown to the child and in a sealed container,” if possible outside the kitchen to stay away from other foods, the authors of this work advise.
They are also demanding that these products be sold in opaque packaging that is difficult for children to open, complete with a warning and the number of the national poison control center.
Some states, including California, have already introduced such measures, but there are no laws at the national level.