A new study that will be published in the September issue of “Pediatrics” from the American Academy of Pediatrics looked at the rates of cannabis intoxication in toddlers in France, where marijuana is illegal.
A marijuana leaf mascot poses with kids for a picture at the rally for medical marijuana.
RALPH BARRERA/ AMERICAN-STATESMAN 2015
It looked at 235 children admitted to an emergency room between 2004 and 2014 for cannabis intoxication. 71 percent of the children were 18 months or younger. In that 11 year period, the number of yearly cases rose 133 percent. Most of the intoxications happened in the home and when a child actually ate the pot.
They also found that the marijuana increasingly had a higher concentration of THC (that’s the happy substance in marijuana) and there were more severe cases of exposure.
Researchers recommended that parents should report the exposure so that their children could be closely monitored. They also recommended parents be given access to social services to help prevent it from happening again.
