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Can you tell the difference between vitamins and gummy candies?
If you can’t, neither can a child. More children are getting their hands on marijuana edibles, and for toddlers, the effects can be life-threating. Marijuana-related calls to the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information (OCPDI) regarding children have increased significantly.
In 2021, calls regarding children less than or equal to five years of age jumped to 211. This is over five times the number of calls received from 2010 to 2017 combined. Already in 2022, OCPDI has received calls about 156 children less than or equal to five years of age who have been exposed to marijuana. Reasons for the increase are unknown but may be related to the increased use of marijuana in the state, people feeling more comfortable reporting adverse effects related to marijuana use, and parents or family members not storing marijuana products up and away from children.
According to Kristie Edelen, assistant managing director of OCPDI, "Children may become unresponsive or very agitated. Often, children will have vomiting, an increase in heart rate and confusion after consuming marijuana. It is rare, but some children have had seizures and a low heart rate and blood pressure."
Children may mistake edible marijuana products like candy or cookies for regular food, and small children are at higher risk for overdose based on their weight. Many children (34.5%) who consume marijuana edibles require hospital admission due to the severity of their symptoms, and 7.8% of these children are admitted to critical care units.
To reduce the risk of injury or illness, please store all marijuana products up and away from children just like medication or chemicals. And remember the following:
- Never call medicine "candy" in order to get a child to take it.
- Just because packaging is child-resistant, doesn’t mean it is child-proof.
- Always keep marijuana-containing products, medicines, and household products up, away, and out of sight of young children.
As always, pharmacists and registered nurses at the poison center are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at (800) 222-1222 to help if a child ingests a marijuana-containing product.
Did you know OMMA-licensed patients have rights and responsibilities associated with their medical marijuana license? Visit our website for answers to common questions pertaining to patients’ rights, as well as helpful information and resources.
View our Licensing and Tax Data webpage.
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