More Kids Are Inadvertently Consuming Edibles Contains Legal Cannabis

According to a recently released study, over a five-year period, there was an increase in the proportion of youngsters who unintentionally consumed items containing marijuana. During that time, votes to legalize marijuana were cast in a number of US states. Between 2017 and 2021, the country’s poison control centers received over 7,000 verified reports of children under the age of six consuming marijuana-infused food. The number of reported events annually rose from roughly 200 to over 3,000. A study in Pediatrics reported new findings. According to the study, about one-fourth of the kids required hospitalization. A few developed severe illnesses.

Tweet urged parents to use greater caution. She also demanded new legislation to lessen the allure and use of marijuana products for minors. Foods and candies are common forms of marijuana products. Such regulations are in place in at least two states: Washington and Colorado. “People don’t think of it in the same way as household chemicals or other things a child could get into when it’s in the form of candy or cookies,” the speaker stated. However, the best way for people to conceive of it is as a medication. Tweet studied National Poison Data System reports with her study colleagues. There are 55 poison control centers in the US. According to the study, the majority of the impacted kids were between the ages of two and three.

Researchers were able to monitor the progress of around 5,000 cases out of over 7,000 reports. They discovered that almost 600 kids, or 8% of the total, were brought into critical care, usually with respiratory depression or even a coma. Approximately 15% were admitted to non-critical care facilities, whereas over 33% were seen in ERs. The most frequent symptoms were fatigue, dyspnea, rapid heartbeat, and vomiting. Pediatric emergency physician Dr. Brian Schultz practices at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. According to him, the outcomes are not shocking. He was previously employed in Washington, D.C. at Children’s National Hospital.