For Your Health: Legal marijuana use has unexpected drawbacks By Mark Netherda The recreational use of marijuana is now legal in California for adults over age 21. This new law is expected to benefit local and state budgets through a variety of taxes and regulatory fees applied to the growing and selling of marijuana and the new jobs it will bring. For some, marijuana-related convictions are being downgraded or erased, easing the burden on our criminal justice systems. While these changes appear to be positive, there may be some unexpected drawbacks. Because marijuana use has been illegal in the United States for decades, it has not been well studied and its overall safety remains a topic of debate for many medical professionals. One area that is not debated, however, is the safety and the serious risks marijuana poses for children. One of the active compounds producing the “high” associated with marijuana is called THC. THC can be removed from marijuana, dissolved and concentrated in oils and tinctures and used in foods called marijuana “edibles”. The list of edibles includes cookies, cupcakes, brownies, “pop tarts”, “crispy rice treats”, “magical butter”, honey, and fruit and citrus punches. Other edibles come in the “child-friendly” forms of familiar looking candies like gummy bears, fruit shaped drops and chocolate bars. Edibles are intended for adults and a “dose” is usually only one or two pieces, although the package usually contains many more. Edible marijuana products are very dangerous to children. While the packaging may list the recommended “dose,” this is not going to be clear to young children. The doses listed are intended for adults and the smaller size and different metabolism of young children make it very easy to overdose on only a single dose. Ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a young child with a package of candy eat only one piece? In 2014, Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana. In the year following legalization, the Rocky Mountain Poison Control center reported a 70% increase in calls related to marijuana exposure. Physicians working in emergency departments describe young children brought in by parents or by ambulance with bizarre behaviors, confusion or unconscious. If it is not immediately clear the child has been exposed to an overdose of marijuana, until the routine drug toxicology and poisoning tests are back, the doctors have no choice but to explore all the other possible causes of the child’s symptoms. This can lead to a large number of tests being done, including blood tests, CAT scans and MRIs, and even spinal taps. Sometimes the children have to be sedated for their own safety while doing these tests. When the test results do come back and it is apparent the child was exposed to marijuana, the parents or guardians may find themselves facing criminal charges of child endangerment or even child abuse. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other professional medical organizations strongly advise against using marijuana in any form in front of children. Avoid letting children see the often “child-friendly” packages of marijuana edibles. Store all marijuana, but especially edibles, safely where children will not have access, much like alcohol and all medications. If family friends or relatives use marijuana, be sure they also take these precautions. Whether or not one chooses to use marijuana under this new law, we all have a responsibility to keep our children safe, and recreational marijuana is not safe for children in any form. Mark Netherda, MD is Regional Medical Director for Solano and Yolo Counties with Partnership HealthPlan of California, a partner of Solano Coalition for Better Health.
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June 2018
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