Pubdate: Fri, 31 May 2013
Source: Times-Tribune, The (Scranton PA)
Copyright: 2013 Townnews.com
Contact:  http://www.thetimes-tribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4440
Author: Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times
Page: C6

KIDS' INGESTION OF POT ON RISE

Secondary Consequences of Marijuana Legalization Seen

As legalized marijuana appears in an increasing number of American
homes, so too does evidence of a dark side: accidental ingestion of
pot and pot-infused food by young children.

The results can be frightening to such children, who often suffer
anxiety attacks when they start to feel unexpected symptoms of being
high: hallucinations, dizziness, altered perception and impaired thinking.

And the trend should prompt equal concern among adult caregivers and
public health authorities, since ingestion of highly potent marijuana
by young children can suppress respiration and even induce coma,
according to a study published online this week in JAMA Pediatrics.

"You talk to people about the secondary consequences of marijuana
legalization and they say, 'Oh, I never thought of that,' " said Dr.
Jeffrey Galinkin, a professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at the
University of Colorado-Denver, who was not involved in the study.
"This is a public health disaster that's just waiting to happen."

The JAMA Pediatrics study was conducted by researchers from the Rocky
Mountain Poison and Drug Center and Children's Hospital in Denver.
Team members tallied visits to the center's emergency department for
accidental marijuana ingestion between Oct. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2011
- - a period during which there was a sharp increase in medical
marijuana cards issued to Coloradans, as the U.S. Justice Department
relaxed its policy of enforcing federal laws against marijuana in
states that allowed its use.

Doctors confirmed that 14 children 12 years old or younger had
accidentally eaten pot. In nearly five years leading up to the study,
the same emergency department had seen not a single lab-confirmed case
of marijuana ingestion by young children.

The children affected ranged from 8 months to 12 years
old.

Eight of the children ingested marijuana when they ate food products -
cakes, brownies, candies, drinks and other treats - made with the
drug. And seven of the food-based cases involved medical marijuana,
which packs an intense dose of marijuana's active ingredient -
tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
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MAP posted-by: Matt