Study seeks to identify effects of marijuana edibles on children

A study published last month in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that effects of accidental consumption of edible cannabis products in children include lethargy, dizziness and abnormal vision. The study analyzed a case series in which children were unintentionally fed THC-infused candy at a birthday party in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Other symptoms present among the affected children who were treated at local hospitals included rapid breathing and heart rate, as well as hypertension, the researchers reported. In some cases, THC levels were not confirmed until after children had been discharged from the hospital.

“Children—and even some adults—can have trouble differentiating between candy and marijuana-infused edibles,” said Kathy T. Vo, MD, lead study author and assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of California San Francisco. “Child-resistant packaging requirements are getting stronger in some states, but the close resemblance to familiar candies still poses significant risk to children.”