Courtesy of Erie County Department of Health
Imagine, for a moment, an infant learning to crawl, exploring the world and objects around her. Imagine her finding and eating an edible gummy containing enough THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) to cause her to become intoxicated, have seizures, have trouble breathing, or experience changes in heart rate and blood pressure. Hours later, after the effects become visible, her parents panic. This scenario frequently occurs in Erie County and across New York State. During Memorial Day weekend, five children under age 10, and three ages 1 or younger, were seen at local emergency departments for accidental and unintentional drug ingestion.
These poisonings are on the minds of Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) and Upstate New York Poison Center (UNYPC) officials. In 2022,UNYPC was on track to handle the highest number of cases for marijuana edibles in its 65-year history, a trend that has accelerated in 2023.
“The message we need people to hear is that drugs and edibles are poisonous to children. If you use them, you must keep them out of sight and out of reach of any kids in the home,” says Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “The use of any drug has real risks, and those risks are amplified in young children who are smaller and more likely to experience severe effects.”
“Parents and caregivers should make sure that any childcare setting or household where a child spends time follows best practices for keeping drugs, edibles, and other poisons up and away. Children are curious, and some drugs and edibles can look and taste like candy or food. Parents must make sure that their environment is safe on all fronts. This is about your child’s health and safety. For anyone who spends time around your kids, insist that their drugs and edibles are stored securely,” says Dr. Burstein.
“We are concerned about the steady increase in calls to our poison center for cannabis-related products being eaten by young children. 100% of the time, these children need to be seen by a doctor,” says Upstate New York Poison Center Administrative Director Michele Caliva, who notes that this is a statewide problem. She says, “If you are over 21, and choose to have marijuana edibles, remember to keep them up high and out of reach of children, consider buying a medication lock box, and if a child you know has ingested marijuana, call UNYPC at 1-800-222-1222. If your child is unresponsive, call 911.” Learn more at www.upstate.edu/poison.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Up and Away campaign has several resources for parents and grandparents for safer medication storage and safety. And with summer travel on the horizon, there are also tips and recommendations for staying safer away from home at https://tinyurl.com/bdzfmhy4.
To reach the Buffalo and Erie County Addiction Hotline, call 716-831-7007, and learn more about edible marijuana dangers at https://tinyurl.com/59yfwdcd.
