Christopher Labos: Cannabis edibles like candy are dangerous for kids

tomtidgewellNovember 29, 2022

Cases of childhood cannabis poisoning are still relatively rare, but they are becoming more common.

Christopher Labos writes that cannabis edibles that come in packaging that resembles packaging of common candies look very appealing to children and pose a risk of accidental poisoning. Photo by York Local Police

Whether you are for or against the legalization of marijuana, I hope we can all agree that we do not want children to accidentally overdose on cannabis products. It’s becoming a thing.

A friend of mine in Winnipeg was reviewing his kids’ Halloween candy last month and told me that one of the candy bags contained a package of edible cannabis gummies. Apparently, two individuals in the area were handing them out for trick-or-treating. This episode highlights the important and growing problem that we are a little complacent about our children’s accidental cannabis addiction.

Emergency room visits and calls to poison control centers for cannabis poisoning have increased in both the United States and Canada. Not surprising at all, given that However, the increase in accidental overdose in children appears to be driven primarily by edible foods rather than other forms of cannabis.

The edible issue is clear when you think about it. Many of these products are designed and packaged to look like candy. This type of copycat package is not uncommon and is concerning for several reasons. First, counterfeit packaging is clever and people can mistake these products for regular candy. Second, many of these products contain much higher levels of his THC than what Health Canada mandates or is generally considered safe. Third, the colorful packaging and resemblance to regular candy make these products very appealing to children. also violates the law elsewhere. Still, they find their way home.

Such issues were brought to light in an episode of Halloween in Winnipeg. Because of the packaging, the edibles could easily have been mistaken for generic brand candies, and my friend had to look twice before realizing the problem. The package distributed contained 600 mg of he THC. This is a very high dose for an adult, let alone a child. For the record, Health Canada has set a maximum dose of 10 mg THC in edible foods. Consuming 600 mg worth of THC can easily get a small child hospitalized. Luckily, the Winnipeg children didn’t seem to actually eat the food, but another case occurred in Kelowna, and the child was rushed to the hospital.

Cases of childhood cannabis poisoning are still relatively rare, but they are becoming more common. I’m afraid there is. However, the risks to children are real, and even normal adult doses can lead to toxicity, let alone doses 60 times the maximum adult dose.

Some argue that cannabis is less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco, both of which are open to the public. However, for obvious reasons, these products also cannot be used by children. Alcohol overdose in children is also a significant problem, as young children are naturally curious and tend to imitate the behavior of adults. However, even small amounts of alcohol can pose a danger to small children.

In the desire to make edible THC products more appealing to the general public, the real problem is that children mistake them for candy, especially when they are designed and packaged to resemble common snacks. facing As we learned with detergent pods, if you make something look like candy, kids will think it’s candy. If you sell edible cannabis gummies for recreational use, you need better regulation and enforcement of packaging and dosing.

Christopher Labos is a Montreal physician and co-host of the Body of Evidence podcast.