Since 2009, when Colorado’s marijuana laws were relaxed, the number of children requiring medical attention after ingesting the drug has spiked, according to researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The cases generally involve a child unintentionally eating a brownie, cookie or candy bar that’s been laced with pot.
For this study, the researchers compared data from the time before drug laws were modified to the period immediately after they were changed. In 2009, 1,378 patients under 12 years old were evaluated in ERs for unintentional consumption of something. Before October 1, 2009, when the new laws went into effect, no children were treated for marijuana exposure. However, of the children treated in ERs after the law changed, 14 were cases of marijuana exposure, including eight in which they consumed the drug in another food.
The researchers warned that marijuana can be very potent, and that some marijuana contains higher concentrations of THC, the active ingredient in the drug. This could lead to more serious problems encountered by those eating the product – especially if the victim is a child. The researchers recommend that education and child-resistant packaging be introduced in an effort to limit the dangers presented to children.
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