More children being poisoned by cannabis edibles, new study shows. What SC parents should know

The number of children younger than 6 accidentally getting hold of marijuana edibles and eating them increased 1,375% from 2017 to 2021, a national study showed.

The study was published by the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics based on information from the National Poison Data System. Researchers found more than 7,000 cases with the greatest number involving 2 year olds.

Dr. Christopher Pruitt, medical director of the Medical University of South Carolina Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital Emergency Department, held a briefing on the study Wednesday and made the following observations.

• His ER has seen more than a dozen cases in the past few years including one in which a 4-year-old died. Two children have been taken to the ER in the past few weeks.

• Children are often attracted to the bright packaging, and the gummies look similar to candy.

• Marijuana legalization in other states affects children in South Carolina, where those products are not sold legally. Hemp products Delta 8 and 10, which are legal in SC, also can cause medical problems in young children.

• The drug affects a child’s central nervous system, which controls breathing and heartbeat, causing them to be lethargic and difficult to arouse.

• Parents should call 911 and follow directions from the dispatcher until medics arrive. Do not force a child to vomit.

• There is no antitoxin available to counter the exposure but medical personnel can offer fluids and oxygen to make sure the child is breathing easily, and in extreme cases, put the child on a ventilator.

• Once the drug is flushed from the body there is likely no long-term damage.

• Doctors and other medical personnel are mandatory reporters by law when child abuse is suspected. Licensed social workers are contacted at MUSC but Pruitt said he is not aware of charges being filed against parents to date.

• Think about gummies as you would medication — put them someplace a child cannot access. Don’t, as one parent did, mix gummies with real candy to get them through airport screening when traveling from a state where marijuana is legal. Recreational marijuana is legal in 21 states and in Washington, D.C.

This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 5:30 AM.