Young Children & Edibles
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope 2023 is off to a good start for you and your families.
As we enter a New Year, we are seeing more and more disturbing reports and articles regarding marijuana edibles in the aftermath of the legalization of the popular drug in several states.
According to this recent study in the journal Pediatrics, the reports of young children accidentally eating edibles has soared.
The number of calls to poison control centers about kids 5 and under consuming edibles containing THC rose from 207 in 2017 to 3,054 in 2021 — a 1,375% increase, according to the study. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Nearly all of the children — about 97% — found the edibles at home.
Proponents in the cannabis industry will argue that this is fear-mongering, or that this is the fault of parents and not the drug itself, and so parents should be educated to keep the edibles out of the reach of children. This is easier said than done as edibles come in the form of candy and cookies and chocolates, which are the snack of choice for any toddler.
So, until there is a practical solution to this dilemma, we strongly urge our political leaders and the cannabis industry here in San Francisco to please keep dispensaries out of neighborhoods that are child-focused, or better yet, for all dispensaries to remove edibles from their menu.
Not too long ago, the SF vape company JUUL was sued for hundreds of millions of dollars because they marketed candy-flavored vape products to minors. Eventually, they were shut down by the FDA. Why are cannabis dispensaries treated differently? Why the double standard? It's time we draw the line between what is legal and what is safe for our children.
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