Connecticut Poison Control sees spike in calls for children ingesting cannabis
The Connecticut Poison Control Center says it receives 40-60 calls a month on average for children 17 and younger who have inhaled or ingested cannabis.
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A recent survey shows more and more children are ingesting cannabis and ending up in the hospital.
"THC – anything that has a psycho active component – is more dangerous than nicotine for the developing brain," said Dr. Amy Swift at Silver Hill Hospital.
Experts say more young kids and adolescents are using marijuana. Swift says it's important to talk to them about the dangers of cannabis when they get to middle school. "
Cannabis effects many areas of the brain but the most important effects that we reliably see is in our ability to process working memory which is this tiny bit of information that helps us function all day long. This is something that is developing in our adolescent years," said Swift.
The Connecticut Poison Control Center says it receives 40-60 calls a month on average for children 17 and younger who have inhaled or ingested cannabis. There have been 668 calls into the center since 2019 with 280 cases of children younger than 6 and 110 for ages 6-11.
Doctors say edibles are the real issue because they are made to look like candy.
"If we want our teens to develop pro-social behaviors, [parents should] do things that are going to be indicative of good health. We also have to do that in our homes because they watch us and they mimic us," said Swift.
Connecticut requires child-resistant packaging and limited doses, but some people would like to see individual wrapping. The Department of Consumer Protection says edibles and cannabis should be locked up and kept out of children's sight.
