With the return of fun-size candy to store shelves, we can reliably count on a new Halloween-related scare campaign to make the rounds – razor blades in apples, needles in chocolate bars and poison-dosed goodies. This year, it’s kids confusing their trick-or-treat goodies with their parents’ pot-infused candy.  The Colorado police sparked this one off after warning the public about little ones getting into the pot-infused edibles that have proliferated since marijuana was legalised in the state.  Be wary, they say, of dangerous cannabis edibles – including cookies, brownies, cakes, chocolates, lollipops, and other candies.  But is the Halloween hysteria about THC treats justified?  The concerns about kids accidentally consuming pot are seriously exaggerated based on the number of incidents reported. One highly publicised study found that 14 children went to the emergency room after exposure to marijuana between October 2009 and December 2011 – only 7 after eating pot-infused food. Compare that to the 16 children who were poisoned by e-cigarettes in Colorado last year – up from 4 in 2012 – after licking or drinking legal nicotine-laced products that come in alluring flavours like root beer.  The vast majority of parents with marijuana in their homes go to great efforts to keep it out of the hands of their children, just as they do with alcohol, cigarettes, toxic household cleaning products and those little liquor-filled chocolates that appear every year around Christmas and New Year’s Eve.  It’s a parent’s responsibility to educate their children about “adult activities” and talk to them about why people shouldn’t partake in certain activities or substances until they’re of age – and marijuana-infused products should be part of those conversations.  Thankfully, should a young person accidentally ingest THC-infused edibles, there isn’t a lethal dose, so the worst consequences could include emotional agitation, anxiety, or sedation. There are no long-lasting negative impacts from consuming cannabis, and most of any discomfort fades away following a long, deep sleep.  Of course, those fighting to outlaw pot are also still asking the age old question, “What about the children?”  Colorado and Washington legalised recreational marijuana in 2012, which didn’t happen without plenty of debate centred around young people and rules about age limits for use. Some parents worried that kids would find pot food items and suffer serious harm, and that’s understandable: parents are supposed to consider how to keep their children safe. It makes sense for parents to ask questions about cannabis and the potential for harm it may present as marijuana becomes more commonplace. As the new legal recreational marijuana industry starts offering a wider range of edibles, the question of how much they should be regulated will continue to be addressed. But in the same way we consider other products or activities that may be harmful to kids – such as learning to ride a bike or bringing peanut-butter sandwiches to school – we should lean towards education and prevention, not legislation. Cannabis has been around for as long as human beings have existed, but only in recent years have we been able to analyse and ask questions about cannabis in a legal setting. Is marijuana deadly? Absolutely not, as proven by science. Will the physical and mental effects of cannabis edibles be unpleasant for someone if accidentally ingested? Most likely, yes – but that is no reason to spread hysteria about kids and cannabis, or to prevent adults from getting safe access.If young people do manage to get into a marijuana stash, intentionally or accidentally, parents should remember that cannabis is one of the safest substances known to man, with no toxicity and no long-term effects. And if the experience of being high isn’t pleasant – which will likely be the case for someone who unintentionally eats THC-infused goods – it shouldn’t be used as an argument to undo the legalisation of cannabis or to impose excessive regulations on a budding industry. Responsible use and storage of marijuana and edibles, along with honest education and openness when dealing with young people and pot, are much better plans than being scared senseless by prohibitionist hysteria about kids and cannabis.
Jodie Emery: Law enforcement is warning parents about the dangers of cannabis-infused sweets. But it might just be a lot of huffing and puffing