Happening now: marijuana ‘edible’ poisoning

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - With the drug now legal in New York, Marijuana “edible” poisoning is becoming more common among children and teenagers.

Marijuana edibles are food products - think brownies or cookies or candy - with pot baked in. It’s another way of using marijuana, if you don’t want to smoke it.

The Upstate New York Poison Center reports an increase in calls for marijuana edible poisoning, with 64 cases of children five years old and younger ingesting an edible reported as of August.

Children, of course, are attracted to sweets, and can, rarely, suffer significant harm from marijuana edibles.

“Children could be significantly more sleepy, and have some more of those severe things like even comas, but again, fortunately, those effects, although they are rare, they’re not unheard of,” said Dr. Vincent Calleo, from the Poison Center.

Dr. Calleo says teenagers underestimate the prolonged effects of edibles in comparison to smoking. Officials recommend keeping edibles out of children’s reach.