California Poison Control Warns About Holiday Marijuana Edibles

This holiday season, California Poison Control System (CPCS) reminds all adults to practice caution when using or serving cannabis-containing edible items. such as cookies, candies, pastries or beverages. These items should not be prepared or served when children or teens are present in order to minimize the risk of accidental poison exposure. The risk increases with edibles because children love holiday goodies and brightly colored items. See edibles video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-INP8IA9hPA.

“Children can be exposed to marijuana either by breathing in smoke or eating foods containing marijuana,” said Dr. Cyrus Rangan, Assistant Medical Director, Los Angeles Area Education Program. “Keep your home and car free of the smoke, and keep food or drinks in their original containers locked up away from young children or teens. Kids and cannabis don’t mix. Treat these products just like you would alcoholic beverages — use caution and common sense.”

Edibles can contain high amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the chemical that causes someone to get high. While adults typically exhibit dizziness, weakness, slurred speech and anxiety, symptoms in children can be more severe. They can range from sleepiness to difficulty breathing or even coma. Emergency rooms and poison control centers have received many cases of young children who accidentally ate marijuana edibles and required hospital admission due to the severity of their symptoms. 

Dr. Rangan advises that if there’s a chance a child has accidentally consumed marijuana-containing products, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 so a trained specialist can answer specific questions and/or guide callers to an emergency facility. 

About CPCS

Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (number is the same in all states) for help. Trained pharmacists, nurses and other providers are available to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is free, confidential and interpreters are available. Get weekly tips about safety by texting TIPS to 20121 for English or texting PUNTOS to 20121 for Spanish. Visit CPCS at www.calpoison.org, follow Facebook and on Twitter @poisoninfo. CPCS is part of the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy and is responsible to the California Emergency Medical Services Authority.