More Young Kids Are Getting Their Hands On Cannabis Gummies – Who’s At Fault?

The Cannabis Report – February 16th, 2023

A recent report from Kaiser Health News, which was repeated in the U.S. News and World Report, highlighted a rise in young children consuming cannabis gummies, especially in Colorado. The article points to data from The Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety office showing incidents involving kids aged 5 or younger exposed to marijuana increased from 56 in 2017 to 151 in 2021. The story focuses less on what states like Colorado have done to protect children from cannabis exposure and instead questions lawmakers’ lack of interest in more law changes to drop the number of children exposed to marijuana gummies to zero. The article implies the state is to blame and only mentions the role of parents and legal cannabis purchasers late in the story. But as marijuana possession becomes more similar to alcohol and firearm possession, where will the boundaries of fault be established when it comes to children being exposed?

In other news, the University of Colorado, which has done extensive research on various aspects of cannabis, concluded in a recent study that legalizing cannabis does not lead to increased use of other illicit drugs among adults. When comparing twins in states that legalized recreational cannabis to those in states that have not, researchers found legalization does not cause increases in substance use disorders or other cognitive, behavioral or financial problems. In addition, twins in states that have legalized marijuana showed fewer symptoms of alcohol use disorder.

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About Leland Rucker:

Leland Rucker is a journalist who has been covering the cannabis industry culture since Amendment 64 legalized adult-use in Colorado, for Boulder Weekly, Sensi, and The News Station. Leland has been keeping KGNU listeners up-to-date on cannabis news for nearly a decade.

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