After medical as well as recreational use of marijuana was legalized in Colorado, there has been an increase in the number of children accidently consuming drug-laced food items, reports a new study.
The number of cases where children accidently consumed drug-laced food items like cookies, candies, brownies and beverages has increased drastically after the medical as well as recreational use of marijuana was legalized in Colorado.
"We have seen an increase in unintentional ingestions of marijuana by children since the modification of drugs laws in Colorado," said George Wang, MD, lead author of the study and clinical instructor in pediatrics at Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "We need to educate marijuana users, the community and medical professionals about the potential dangers."
The study began in 2009. For the study, 1,378 children under the age of 12 were evaluated to find any traces of unintentional consumption of marijuana. 790 children were evaluated before Sept. 30, 2009 and 588 after Oct. 1, 2009. It was found that not even one child showed signs of unintentional consumption of marijuana before Sept. 30, 2009. However, from Oct. 1, 2009, 14 cases were reported and all of them were from the direct consumption of marijuana-laced food.
THC is the active ingredient of marijuana and according to Wang; the drug is much stronger these days because of the high concentration of THC in it. Children accidentally consuming this drug-laced food items can be affected with respiratory problems, extreme sleepiness, difficulty in walking and lethargy.
"Before the marijuana boom these kinds of edibles were not mass-produced and the amount of THC ingested was somewhat limited, but now we are seeing much higher strength marijuana," Wang said. "The key to this is prevention through child resistant packaging."
After the discovery, Wang and Michael Kosnett, MD, MPH, a medical toxicologist and associate clinical professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have testified before a state advisory panel asking them to recommend child resistant packaging for marijuana edibles.
"Dr. Wang and I worked together to translate his study findings into public policy that would prevent poisoning," said Kosnett, who is also an attending physician at the Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Center, a division of Denver Health. "We were gratified that our message to the governor's Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force and the legislature resulted in passage earlier this month of a law requiring the Colorado Department of Revenue to develop rules for child resistant packaging for marijuana products by July 1."
