More kids hospitalized for cannabis poisonings after edibles legalized, study finds

The average number of kids hospitalized for unintentional cannabis poisonings spiked in some provinces after they legalized edibles, according to a new study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Ontario-based researchers also found that three such provinces — Alberta, B.C. and Ontario — saw twice the increase in pediatric hospitalizations than Quebec, which prohibited edibles at the time of the study. 

"Unlike adults where they would mostly get high, maybe a little bit drowsy, when young children ingest edibles, they may become very, very sick. We've seen kids with seizures, kids who stopped breathing," said Dr. Yaron Finkelstein, a senior author of the study and staff physician at SickKids Hospital in Toronto. 

"Their symptoms, especially in young children, can be more severe and can be life-threatening."

Federal law requires cannabis-infused edibles — including gummy candies, chocolate or baked goods — to be sold in plain packaging, so as not to appeal to children, and with no more than 10 milligrams of the psychoactive compound THC.

But even those precautions "are not enough," Finkelstein said. "Those kids are still at risk." 

That's why Finkelstein and other pediatricians say parents and guardians should store edibles away from kids. Kids are affected differently by such products and could get very sick, pediatricians say. How much was eaten, the type of edible, the age and size of the child are all factors.

"They are made to be yummy and it can be very tempting for a young person to try one of these things thinking that it's a yummy cookie or brownie or gummies or other edible products," said Dr. Dina Kulik, a Toronto-based pediatrician who was not involved in the study.

As part of the research, Finkelstein and colleagues wanted to see how having more cannabis products on the market after legalization affected the number of kids hospitalized for poisonings. 

They compared provincial hospital data over three time periods: 

In the first period, they found that 581 kids between one and nine years old had been hospitalized for cannabis poisoning. 

There were an average of two such hospitalizations per month in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario, according to data provided to CBC News. 

The number grew to 5.2 on average per month after cannabis became legal, according to the data.

After edibles were legalized in those provinces, it increased again to 14.9.