Edibles are dangerous for kids because:
They contain harmful levels of marijuana for a child’s body. A typical adult starting dose of edible marijuana is anywhere from 2.5 mg to 10 mg of THC. That amount of THC can harm children, who weigh less. Also, the concentration, amount, or strength of THC in edibles is hard to measure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An edible may contain even more THC than expected, making it even more dangerous for kids.
Some edibles contain multiple doses of THC. Though adults may know to stop after a single dose, children often do not. They may consume an entire THC-infused brownie — which could contain multiple doses of THC, thus putting them in danger.
They look innocent. Because edibles often look like sweets that children are already familiar with, they are vulnerable to eating them. Some edibles come in wrappers or packaging that resemble widely recognized brands of candies or baked goods. “Children will see a gummy bear and think, ‘Great,'” Dr. Pizon says. “And they’ll quickly run into problems that way.”
They may not read the packaging. Many marijuana edibles come in packaging that indicates what it is. But children, especially young children, may not read the packaging and understand what it is. In other cases, the edible may not have any packaging at all. It just may look like a normal drink, baked good, or piece of candy.
The effects last longer. The effects of smoking marijuana come on and go away quickly. But with edibles, the effects come on slower and often last longer — especially with higher doses. “When you ingest it, it comes on more insidiously, and it sticks around longer,” Dr. Pizon says. “So, these kids may be comatose and out of it for a day or more.”
The Pediatrics study focused on accidental exposures to marijuana edibles by children 6 years old and under. But Dr. Pizon says exposure in children of all ages, from toddlers to teenagers, is cause for concern. “Obviously, the younger and smaller you are, the bigger risk, but we also see older kids,” Dr. Pizon says. “They don’t read the packaging, they just see it as candy and start eating it and realize, ‘Wow, this has a strange taste.’ “So, you’ll see that age range, and then you’ll also see older, adolescent-aged children who are maybe experimenting. They know that this is Mom or Dad’s special marijuana-containing product, and they’ll experiment with it. So, we kind of see the accidental ingestion with the younger kids and then the older kids who are experimenting.”