Edible Cannabis Consumption Is Rising Among Children, Study Finds

The ingestion of edible products by children under the age of 6 has increased rapidly since the start of the pandemic, contributing to a "significant increase" in hospitalizations, according to the study.

The accidental consumption of edible marijuana products, such as brownies and gummies, among children under the age of 6 has increased in recent years, as more states have legalized recreational pot use, a new study has found.

The study, published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics, analyzed reports of children's exposure to edibles from 2017 to 2021. The authors concluded that there had been a "steady increase in pediatric exposures to edible cannabis over the past five years, with potential for toxicity important".

In 2020, pediatric cases of edible marijuana ingestion accounted for more than 40% of all human poison exposures reported that year, according to ng under study, which relied on statistics from the National Poison Data System.< /p>

“These exposures can cause significant toxicity and are responsible for an increasing number of hospitalizations,” the authors wrote.

There have been more than 7,000 reported cases of accidental ingestion by children 5 and under between 2017 and 2021, and cases have increased by 1,375% over this period, according to the 'study. . In almost all of them, the edibles were ingested in a residential setting. About 90% of cases originated in the child's home, according to the study. and not I.C.U. admissions,” the study found.

The study found an increase in “acute toxicity” associated with such cases since the start of the pandemic,” as indicated by increased critical care admissions, more patients admitted to non-critical care beds” and fewer patients treated in emergency departments. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, symptoms include drowsiness, low blood pressure, and slurred speech.

The authors offered several possible explanations to the increase in the number of cases, including more time spent at home during the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic, when schools and daycare centers were closed, and the greater availability of legal products based on of marijuana over the past decade. They also noted that many marijuana edibles "come in attractive, brightly colored packaging, similar in style to the candy and snack marketing," which contributes to their appeal to young people. children.

After voters in Maryland and Missouri approved ballot measures in November, recreational marijuana use is now legal in 21 states, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. In New York, where recreational marijuana use became legal in 2021, the first dispensary selling legal recreational marijuana opened last week in Greenwich Village to much fanfare and long lines.

Several studies conducted in recent years analyzing pediatric emergency care visits and reports to regional poison control centers have found an increase in accidental consumption of edibles at marijuana base by young people in states like Massachusetts and Colorado, which were among the first to legalize recreational marijuana.

Some states have taken measures to reduce children's exposure, by passing laws mandating child-resistant packaging for cannabis products. In Colorado, for example, edible marijuana cannot be sold as fruit, animals, or humans.