Suncoast Rehabilitation Center has helped individuals through addiction to all types of drugs. Edibles are a new delivery system for one such drug – pot.
What are marijuana edibles?
These are cookies, candies, and other treats infused with THC. They are “pot brownies” in massive production – as well as other treats in every form imaginable.
Some states like California, Michigan, Vermont, Montana, New Jersey, Maine, and Rhode Island have legalized the use of marijuana edibles for medical means. Colorado and Washington has legalized these candies for recreational use. This means users can take home pot infused candies, cookies, brownies, and more. This means that yummy looking sweet treats are headed home with parents who have kids that won’t know that those foods are only meant for grownups.
It’s REALLY hard to tell the difference between these pot filled candies and regular candy. In a shocking expose, the Denver Channel showed kids trying to tell the difference between treats with pot and regular, safe treats that look very similar. The kids could not tell the difference – one of them even picked every THC infused food laid before him over the regular treats. One nine year-old found the label and read it, only to be stumped by the abbreviation: “M.I.P.” Neither the little girl nor her parents knew that the abbreviation “M.I.P.” means “marijuana infused product.”
When faced with common grownup items like medicine or alcoholic beverages, the kids knew to stay away.
The point is that, if a parent or any adult tells a kid “stay away from this delicious looking cookie I’m putting in the cupboard,” will the child do what he or she is told? I will hazard a guess and say ”no.” I know that when I was a kid – there was no cupboard too tall to keep me away from candy.
Scary facts about marijuana edibles
From the time Colorado allowed recreational use in December 2012 until April 2014, there are a record 20 cases of adults and 6 cases of children being tracked by the Rocky Mountain Poison Center ALONE from eating marijuana edibles. This is just one poison center in Colorado.
There are other cases all over Colorado. For example: in May, the Children’s Hospital of Colorado said that nine children have been brought into their emergency room for accidental marijuana ingestion. Seven of these children were admitted to the intensive care unit. The ages of most of these kids? Between 3 and 7 years old.
These kids and adults experienced anything from hallucinations to severe anxiety/paranoia to dangerously difficult breathing. This stuff is D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S.
The problems are:
A) Recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado, so we are seeing this uptick in THC poisoning from edible marijuana. And, before you ask, the reason we aren’t yet seeing this in Washington is they are still ironing out all the details when it comes to law before they allow edible marijuana.
B) Another issue is the fact that these edibles look like any other delicious treat. How is a kid supposed to know the difference?
C) There is NO consistency in the amounts of THC per product. One package containing one brownie can contain one dose (10 milligrams of THC) to TEN doses. Usually, serving size only matters if you are counting calories – not anymore.
D) THC infused treats are slower acting, so an individual used to smoking pot will likely think nothing is happening and continue to eat more and more until they are dangerously high.
E) Not only does eating marijuana cause the results to happen more slowly, the effect is stronger and longer-lasting than smoking marijuana.
The above isn’t even the worst part of the marijuana edibles issue. One of the biggest arguments in the fight for legalization of marijuana has been that “nobody has died from it.” Well that myth has been busted by two horrific stories in Colorado:
A Colorado man ate a marijuana cookie which contained more than one dose of THC. Shortly after, he jumped off his hotel patio and died. The coroner listed “marijuana intoxication” as a significant condition contributing to his death.
Another Colorado man ate some marijuana candy, began saying it was the end of the world, and shot and killed his wife while his three children cowered downstairs.
To Recap:
Treats that are attractive to children contain so much marijuana that they should not be eaten all at once. Additionally, even ingesting the “correct serving size” of this product will cause the child to experience a high that is stronger and longer lasting than that experienced by pot smokers. Not only are children suffering, adults are becoming violent, hallucinating, and leaving a trail of victims because of edible marijuana.
If you or someone you know is addicted to marijuana or any other drug – contact us today at (877) 850-7355. We work to help each and every person beat their addiction.
Refs: The DenverChannel.com, Denverpost.com, TheDailyBeast.com, USAToday.com, Slate.com, Canorml.org, Statenews.com
