California lawmakers are trying to ban edible marijuana from resembling candy, after an
uptick in emergency room visits.
A bill passed Monday by the state Assembly would ban marijuana edibles from being shaped like popular candy or animals or people or fruit.
A
medical study in Colorado last year found the number of children admitted to the hospital for ingesting marijuana doubled after that state legalized recreational use in 2012. Calls to poison control increased five-fold, according to the study.
UC Davis emergency room physician and toxicologist Dan Colby says children can easily mistake marijuana-laced gummies or chocolate for popular candy.
“They’re usually higher concentration products, so they can get you higher, and children are not attempting to get high, so they may eat the entire product,” Colby says.
He says marijuana also affects children differently and often more severely than adults. While it’s not typically lethal, in extreme cases children can need help breathing.
The Assembly measure passed without opposition and now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
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