WASHINGTON (CITC) — A string of recent incidents shows students nationwide are sharing marijuana-infused edibles in schools, prompting calls for parents to discuss safety precautions with their children.
A Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) analysis found several such incidents in K-12 schools over the last month, with most involving infused candies.
Ten children at an eastern Florida K-8 school allegedly ate marijuana gummies Tuesday, with five being sent to an area hospital. The mother of one of the five claims a student passed out the gummies to classmates during the school day. The incident mirrors another at a Michigan middle school, where five students were suspended last week after marijuana-infused brownies were allegedly shared and eaten in the school cafeteria.
In some cases, students have faced potential legal troubles. Two middle schoolers in southern North Carolina were detained last month after 12 of their classmates were hospitalized for ingesting THC-infused candies. A communication from the school district states an eighth grader brought the candies to school before sharing them with others.
With some students obtaining such edibles from their homes, Natalie Rine, the director of the Central Ohio Poison Center, advises parents on the safety tips to preemptively discuss with their children.
Be careful of who you’re taking things from, even at school sharing things at a lunch table,” Rine explained to Local 12 WKRC-TV.
The Central Ohio Poison Center also recommends parents approach such discussions in a “non-judgmental way,” allowing their children to freely voice any questions and concerns about marijuana. Other tips include sharing how marijuana is used and what “symptoms” people can develop from usage in an age-appropriate way.
David Herzberg, a drug historian and professor at the University at Buffalo in New York State, echoes the need for greater discussions and drug education. He noted to CITC that marijuana-infused candies coming from people they trust can present a confusing challenge for children.
“It’s life if you built a race car so that it looked like one of those Tonka toy trucks and children would see it and think, ‘this was built for me, I’m seeing all the signs that our culture uses when it wants me to feel like something is safe for me to play with,'” Herzberg told CITC.
Seeing something in a package that is candies, how are you supposed to believe that could really be dangerous?” he asked.
In July, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent cease and desist orders to six companies marketing THC-infused edibles mimicking snack brands popular with children, such as Sour Patch Kids and Jolly Ranchers. The FTC argued at the time such marketing could present “an unwarranted risk to health and safety” in children, pointing to a “significant number of adverse events” reported in connection to ingesting THC-infused edibles.
A report published last year by the American Academy of Pediatrics claims states where recreational or medical marijuana is legalized have seen an increase in exposure-related visits to pediatric emergency care centers. The report also points to an increase in “unintentional pediatric ingestions” of marijuana-infused edibles after such legalizations.
H/T: cbs6albany.com
You can view the whole article at this link
