Should cannabis edibles that look like candy be banned? Take our survey and tell us why… Another study shows that poisoning among minors is on the rise

An expert today called for a ban on edibles after another study found increasing numbers of children are being poisoned by them.

Researchers from the University of Ottawa in Canada found that hospital admissions among children aged zero to nine who accidentally used marijuana in Canada rose by 844 percent between 2015 and 2021.

Counties that allowed the sale of edible cannabis products had a much greater increase in hospitalizations for accidental pediatric poisoning than counties that banned the sale.

This came after a national US study found The number of children under the age of six who overdosed on marijuana edibles has increased by 1,000 percent since 2017.

Teenagers are lured by brightly packaged candy-like products that make them more vulnerable to higher rates of addiction, psychosis and dropping out of school, researchers warn. Pictured: Child-friendly chewing gum packaging

Steve Rolles, Senior Policy Analyst for the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, told DailyMail.com: “Having cannabis-based edibles that look like children’s candy is just a really bad idea. So why not just do it? You can selling cannabis oil that you can spread on any food in a controlled way and then eat it and you’ll get the edible effect. But selling stuff that looks like kids’ candy but contains drugs just seems silly to me.”

He said: “There has been a problem with children consuming cannabis-based edibles and there has been an increase in emergency room visits for people with pediatric poisoning from cannabis products.”

Edibles are food products that have been infused with cannabis, which can include baked goods, candies and gummies.

They differ from regular weed in that it can take users hours to feel the effects, making it easier to accidentally overdose. They also mitigate some of the negative effects of smoking when ingested.

In recent years, edibles have been sold in child-friendly packaging. Overdoses in children are common, as marijuana ingested in food can have stronger and longer-lasting effects, especially in children under 12 years of age.

In the United States, the legal status of edibles varies from state to state. Edibles are legal in states like New York, Arizona and Montana.

Some states, including North Dakota, Arkansas and Ohio, only allow edibles for medicinal purposes.

In Canada, Quebec is the only province where it is illegal to sell chocolate, jelly beans or marijuana candies that are considered potentially attractive to children.

In the latest study, researchers from the University of Ottawa said it is unclear whether poisoning among children in Canada has increased because of increased children’s access to ready-to-eat cannabis edibles, Covid-related factors, or a combination of both, but insisted on the Restriction of the sale of eatables.

Canada legalized cannabis in October 2018, but initially barred the sale of edibles such as packaged candy.

As of January 2020, some provinces have allowed the sale of edible cannabis products.

Researchers used routinely collected hospital discharge data to examine the hospital admissions of children between the ages of 0 and 9 years in Canada’s four most populous provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia.

The study period was divided into pre-legalization (January 2016 to September 2018), phase one (October 2018 to December 2019) when marijuana in dried flower, seed and oil form was legalized in all provinces, and phase two (January 2020 to September ) 2021) when the sale of edible cannabis products was legalized in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia and restricted in Quebec.

During the seven-year period, there were 581 hospital admissions for marijuana poisoning in children.

The proportion of hospitalizations for marijuana intoxication in the total number of hospitalizations for intoxication increased by 844 percent over the seven-year study period, from 20 out of 651 (three percent) in 2015 to 179 out of 617 (29 percent) in 2021.

The rate per 1,000 due to pre-legalization marijuana intoxication was 57 in the legalized provinces and 39 in Quebec.

During the second period, hospitalizations for marijuana poisoning in the legalized provinces more than doubled to 318, but remained the same at 138 in Quebec.

Researchers determined: “Whether the number of child poisonings has increased primarily due to the legalization of recreational cannabis in general, an increase in children’s access to ready-to-use, commercially produced legal edible cannabis, Covid-19-related factors, or a combination.” of factors is unclear.’

Mr Rolles told DailyMail.com: “In general, I think having cannabis-based edibles that look like children’s sweets is a really bad idea. So why not just do it? You can sell cannabis oil that you can spread on any food in a controlled way and then eat it and you’ll get the edible effect. But selling stuff that looks like kids’ candy but contains drugs just seems silly to me.”

He said: “There has been a problem with children eating cannabis-based edibles and there has been an increase in emergency room visits for people with pediatric poisoning from cannabis products.

“It is important to put this in perspective: the numbers are still very low compared to other forms of poisoning, for example from kitchen products or pharmaceuticals. The numbers are still very small, but they have increased, so there is some concern.’

He added: “Sensible regulation can reduce this: if these things are sold, they are very clearly labeled in child or child-resistant packaging.”

The researchers told them The results suggest that limiting the sale of legal commercial edibles may be critical to preventing childhood poisoning following the legalization of recreational daytime snacking.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Health Forum.