The number of children accidentally ingesting cannabis-based edibles has increased dramatically in recent years in the United States, where recreational marijuana is legal in several states across the country.
Just over 200 cases of children under five who ingested a cannabis-based product were recorded in 2017, compared with more than 3,050 in 2021, according to a study published this Tuesday (3) in the scientific journal Pediatrics. An increase of more than 1,300%.
Marijuana-based edibles are often sold in the form of sweets, chocolate products or cookies, which attract the attention of children.
The research, supported by a national database, advocates greater prevention on the subject with parents, as well as stricter packaging rules for these products.
Although no deaths were recorded during the study period from 2017 to 2021 (about 7,000 cases in total), these accidents can be dangerous in young children, mainly due to too high a dose for their low weight.
The average age of children who have ingested cannabis-based products is 3 years old.
About a quarter of the children had to be hospitalized. Of these, 8% were admitted to intensive care.
Symptoms caused include central nervous system depression (including coma), tachycardia (abnormally fast heartbeat), and vomiting.
Overall, children were treated with intravenous fluids.
The increase in the number of these intoxications “is thought to be associated with an increase in the number of states that allow recreational marijuana use by adults,” the study said.
The use of marijuana for recreational purposes was authorized in just eight states and Washington DC in 2017, up from 18 states at the end of May 2022.
The covid-19 pandemic may also have contributed to the increase in these cases, as children stayed at home more and therefore had more opportunities to be exposed to these products.
More than 90% of ingestions took place in the minors’ homes, according to the study.
“Ideally, these products should be stored in places unknown to the child, and in a well-closed container”, preferably outside the kitchen to stay away from other foods, advise the authors of the study.
They also ask that these products be sold in opaque packages, difficult for children to open, with a warning message and the telephone number of the national poison control center. Some states, including California, have already implemented such measures, but in the United States there is no national law.
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