Accidental Marijuana Consumption Among Children in Colorado Increased Since the Legalization

Marijuana legalization in Colorado may have bought countless positive changes for the state, but there's always a down side to it. After the state's marijuana legalization, it was revealed that the number of children accidentally poisoned by marijuana edibles uncontrollably spiked.

A study recently highlighted the down side of high as marijuana legalization bought a high amount of children to the hospital for accidental marijuana edible consumption. A study published in JAMA released a statistics of "Unintentional Pediatric Exposure to Marijuana in Colorado from 2009-2015.

The study's results reached a surprising state as the numbers skyrocketed in the span of six years. It was revealed that children that 163 accidental marijuana exposure took place from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2015.

"Eighty-one patients were evaluated at the children's hospital, and Colorado's RPC received 163 marijuana exposure cases between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2015, for children younger than 10 years of age," the researchers wrote. "The median age of children's hospital visits was 2.4 years (IQR, 1.4-3.4); 25 were girls (40%) . The median age of RPC marijuana exposures was 2 years (IQR, 1.3-4.0), and 85 patients were girls (52%). "

CNN reports that almost half of the hospital visits in 2009 involve marijuana poisoning. These accidents occur mostly because of the child-friendly look and packaging of marijuana edibles which sometimes contain high THC that can negatively affect the child.

Most marijuana edibles come in a form of cookies, gummies, lollipops, and even cakes which can be tempting for the child. Adults and parents should take responsibility for storing their edibles properly, as they should keep it away from the reach of children.

To resolve the accidental marijuana consumption among children, Colorado made a gesture to make sure that children will shy away from it. It was mentioned last year that the marijuana dibbles should be packed in child-resistant, resealable packaging.