7 votes

More young kids are getting sick from cannabis edibles

18 comments

  1. [2]
    vord
    Link
    Whilst I have no doubts there are more cases now. And edibles should 100% be locked up just as securely as alcohol and guns. But... How many of these cases would otherwise go completely unreported...

    Whilst I have no doubts there are more cases now. And edibles should 100% be locked up just as securely as alcohol and guns. But...

    How many of these cases would otherwise go completely unreported for fear of being locked up before legalization?

    Fundementally there's going to be problems readjusting to legal weed. Hopefully the takeaway will be more of a proactive one instead of the (much more common) "well we better bring back prohibition."

    8 votes
    1. Grzmot
      Link Parent
      It's similar with the airtag debacle going on occasionally, when someone makes headlines that they were being tracked with one. Is there a chance that stalking and tracking has become easier due...

      How many of these cases would otherwise go completely unreported for fear of being locked up before legalization?

      It's similar with the airtag debacle going on occasionally, when someone makes headlines that they were being tracked with one. Is there a chance that stalking and tracking has become easier due to the availability of Airtags? Yup, but maybe Apple has just made it more visible because they inform the person being tracked that there is an unknown Airtag near them.

      It's the same here. Do I support legalization? Yes. Should any form of weed be kept away from children? Absolutely!

      4 votes
  2. [14]
    teaearlgraycold
    Link
    Honestly it might not be a bad idea to only allow sales of THC pills and only in child-proof containers.

    Honestly it might not be a bad idea to only allow sales of THC pills and only in child-proof containers.

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      frostycakes
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I know in Colorado, all THC products have to be sold in child-resistant (there's no such thing as truly childproof, just like electronics being water-resistant, not waterproof) packaging, no...

      I know in Colorado, all THC products have to be sold in child-resistant (there's no such thing as truly childproof, just like electronics being water-resistant, not waterproof) packaging, no matter if it's edibles, flower, or concentrates. I imagine most legal jurisdictions have similar rules around packaging, so ultimately it's up to the parents to not leave the packages open and accessible, same as with alcohol.

      We don't ban booze because some kids sneak into their parents' liquor cabinets, and since, unlike alcohol, there's no way to get a THC overdose that poses any risk to the life of the child? Banning edibles would be a ridiculous overreach.

      Looking closer at the article, only 1.4% of the reported calls had anything approaching life-threatening symptoms. What's the percentage for kids who get into their parents' alcohol? I'd be honestly shocked if it wasn't significantly higher.

      As they said when we legalized, the goal was to regulate marijuana like alcohol, not much more stringently than it. I'm sick of all these reefer madness style articles nearly a decade on from legalization. Much like with vapes, fruity flavors/candies aren't just for children, and it's insulting to keep having adult choices taken away because some people are irresponsible with things that are barely capable of long-term harm.

      18 votes
      1. lou
        Link Parent
        You know, in my view, you actually demonstrated very well that we should be way more careful in the way we package and handle alcohol, as well as other legal drugs.

        You know, in my view, you actually demonstrated very well that we should be way more careful in the way we package and handle alcohol, as well as other legal drugs.

        5 votes
    2. [9]
      AugustusFerdinand
      Link Parent
      Disagree. The responsibility of keeping things out of the reach of children is on the parents, both physically and by educating their children. Be it THC edibles, gummy vitamins (overdosing...

      Disagree.

      The responsibility of keeping things out of the reach of children is on the parents, both physically and by educating their children. Be it THC edibles, gummy vitamins (overdosing vitamin A causes coma and death), alcohol (new seltzers and other drinks are just soda that gets you drunk), or any other item or substance that shouldn't be in the hands of children.

      Saying THC should only come in pill form is like saying that all small fruits should only come in preserve form because some kids choke on grapes.

      11 votes
      1. [4]
        lou
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        I get what you're saying, but sadly some parents are just not careful enough, and even careful people make mistakes sometimes. If an effective safety measure is reasonably cheap, simple, and...

        I get what you're saying, but sadly some parents are just not careful enough, and even careful people make mistakes sometimes. If an effective safety measure is reasonably cheap, simple, and achievable, why not adopt it?

        I mean, I'm pretty sure there's not much one can do about grapes packaging to make it safer for kids, but if there was I would support it.

        5 votes
        1. [3]
          AugustusFerdinand
          Link Parent
          If the parents can't be responsible enough to keep their THC away from their children then they aren't responsible enough to have THC. Plain and simple. If the measure requires something that is...

          If the parents can't be responsible enough to keep their THC away from their children then they aren't responsible enough to have THC. Plain and simple. If the measure requires something that is safely enjoyed by multitudes to be sacrificed because a few people can't be responsible, why adopt it?

          Grapes could come pre-slivered, but there is a solution as put in my original comment; fruit comes only in preserve/pureed form. So there's your packaging to make no child ever choke on a grape. You can only consume grapes in a baby food format. Do you support it?

          8 votes
          1. [2]
            lou
            Link Parent
            You argue as if parental care and industry safety measures were mutually exclusive, as if personal responsibility invalidated the need for safety guidelines. I don't think that is the case....

            You argue as if parental care and industry safety measures were mutually exclusive, as if personal responsibility invalidated the need for safety guidelines. I don't think that is the case. Everyone should drive responsibly, but we still have airbags. Everyone should keep medications away from children, but it doesn't hurt to have child-proof packaging, etc.

            1 vote
            1. AugustusFerdinand
              Link Parent
              I didn't disagree with child resistant packaging, I disagreed that THC should only be available in pill form. To say that everyone should only have access to grapes in puree form because some...

              I didn't disagree with child resistant packaging, I disagreed that THC should only be available in pill form. To say that everyone should only have access to grapes in puree form because some people can't be bothered to watch their kids or keep grapes out of reach of children is the part I disagree with. Put the grapes in child resistant packaging if need be.

              We have airbags to prevent loss of life, not to stop people from driving. Airbags are childproofing the grapes, banning cars is making all the grapes a puree.

              11 votes
      2. [4]
        teaearlgraycold
        Link Parent
        Alcohol tastes much worse to children and you need to consume way more of it to get strong effects (we’re talking milligrams of THC vs. ounces of ethanol). And we don’t need to set the threshold...

        Alcohol tastes much worse to children and you need to consume way more of it to get strong effects (we’re talking milligrams of THC vs. ounces of ethanol). And we don’t need to set the threshold of action at death. Knowing that parents will be terrified and their children comatose for a couple of days is plenty of reason to make a change.

        It’s not hard to make cannabutter if you want to make your own edibles.

        5 votes
        1. [2]
          frostycakes
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          It's significantly more expensive than it would be to be able to buy cannabutter or cannabis infused cooking oils at a dispensary, plus homemade cannabutter would be even more of a risk to...

          It’s not hard to make cannabutter if you want to make your own edibles.

          It's significantly more expensive than it would be to be able to buy cannabutter or cannabis infused cooking oils at a dispensary, plus homemade cannabutter would be even more of a risk to children by your logic, since the makers will have zero idea of how potent it is.

          Gummies are made from either distilled concentrate mixed in, or an evaporated alcohol-based tincture either way as well, the second of which is nearly impossible to buy in any appreciable quantity at a dispensary, and takes at least a few days of soaking flower in Everclear after decarbing, a long, labor-intensive process with lots of chances of wayward children getting into it.

          I'll have to find my source on this again, but I saw that upwards of 3000 children die of alcohol poisoning every year in the US alone. Given that there's only one potential death of a child from cannabis ingestion anywhere in the world, where's your zeal for only allowing plain vodka, to only be sold in childproof shooters and no larger containers, with no fruity or sweet flavors added? Because that's the functional equivalent of your proposal to limit THC to pill form.

          6 votes
          1. Merry
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            Let's not get carried away on mischaracterizations. All that was posted in the OP was that it might not be a bad idea. I wouldn't characterize that, or what was posted later, as zeal from my POV....

            Let's not get carried away on mischaracterizations. All that was posted in the OP was that it might not be a bad idea. I wouldn't characterize that, or what was posted later, as zeal from my POV. Just casual brainstorming talk.

            But I do agree that parents need to be more responsible about stashing their edibles, similar to that of a parent storing their spirits in a locked cabinet. And just like in other areas of parenting responsibility, if negligence is found they should be punished in some form.

            4 votes
        2. AugustusFerdinand
          Link Parent
          Liquor, beer, wine, taste worse to children. Seltzers and any number of the various sugar-y malt beverages on the market now do not. Parents should be terrified. Fear of consequences is more than...

          Liquor, beer, wine, taste worse to children. Seltzers and any number of the various sugar-y malt beverages on the market now do not. Parents should be terrified. Fear of consequences is more than enough to make a change in the behavior of parents.

          I don't see you pushing for all vitamins to be in pill form only. The only 100% effective way to make sure a kid can't take something is to not have it around. So either the parents make a decision that they aren't responsible enough to have THC or they become responsible enough. I fail to see why something safely enjoyed by many needs to be eradicated because of a few idiots.

          Gummies aren't made from cannabutter. It's also not hard to make your own alcohol. Point moot.

          3 votes
    3. post_below
      Link Parent
      Cannabis has a huge number of active compounds in addition to THC. Child safety, and the myth that a perfectly safe world is possible, is so often behind restrictions on what full grown adults can...

      Cannabis has a huge number of active compounds in addition to THC.

      Child safety, and the myth that a perfectly safe world is possible, is so often behind restrictions on what full grown adults can choose to do.

      There's this irrationality that seems to creep in where child safety is concerned, which looks suspiciously like the anxiety a lot of first time parents experience.

      It would be relatively harmless if politicians hadn't long since learned to co-opt that drive in order to accomplish other goals.

      9 votes
    4. Micycle_the_Bichael
      Link Parent
      Every dispensary I’ve been to across 5 states sold all their products in child-proof containers, many of which are harder to open than the pill bottles for my actual prescriptions. If people are...

      Every dispensary I’ve been to across 5 states sold all their products in child-proof containers, many of which are harder to open than the pill bottles for my actual prescriptions. If people are taking them out of those containers and leaving them around where children can get them, the dispensary has done all it can do.

      6 votes
  3. [2]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. lou
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I'm also thinking that could pose a serious risk to household pets. I have a dog that will eat anything he comes across.

      I'm also thinking that could pose a serious risk to household pets. I have a dog that will eat anything he comes across.

      2 votes