Reconciling Child Safety and Edibles: Who’s to blame?
Are edibles really a threat to society?
Cannabis is more accessible than ever, but whose fault is it that pediatric ingestion is becoming a threat to society? While we know for sure that cannabis is absolutely not harmful, the thought of your toddler accidentally ingesting enough edibles to send an adult to outer space is enough to strike fear into any parent’s heart. In Colorado alone, surveys show that the cases of kids under 10 who were exposed to cannabis increased five times as much from 2009 to 2015.
Edible manufacturers are certainly feeling the pressure, but is the only answer to this problem completely banning them?
In California
Lawmakers in the Golden State are putting more measures in place that will result in banning edibles that look like certain kinds of candy. Just last Thursday, a measure has been sent to Governor Jerry Brown to consider banning all edibles that look like an animal, insect, fruit, or a person. Brown, who in 2016 voiced his opposition of legal cannabis in California, signed a proposal earlier this year which would permit cannabis companies to apply for licenses to grow, distribute, manufacture, and sell their products.
The bill, authored by Assemblyman Rudy Salas, says that the intention of the measure is to protect the children. According to the lawmakers, cannabis edibles have been designed to resemble candies, such as in the shape of pineapples or in the form of gummy bears. They’re right though; these goods are popular in the market, but these companies will soon be taking a hit. Despite the fact that California is just a few months shy of issuing licenses for recreational cannabis by January 1, the market will likely not look the same next year with bills in place preventing cannabis from being marketed to minors.
In Canada
Meanwhile, in Canada, there is also a growing concern about the safety of edibles and its impact on the children. A poll recently showed that Canadians are interested in cannabis-laced edibles, although they do have concerns about kids getting exposed to them. The study, conducted by Dalhousie University in Halifax, shows that 68% of Canadians want to legalize cannabis, most of the supporters based in B.C. and Ontario. More than 45% of the respondents said they would purchase food made with cannabis, and 46% said that they would buy cannabis-infused baked goods if it was legal.
Over half of the respondents also admitted to being worried about the risks that edibles may pose to children, who will probably be attracted to confections, cookies, and gummy candies that contain THC. In BC, around 81% of respondents said that they were concerned about young adults have easier access to cannabis.
“The risk element around children was quite high at 58.5%, so there seems to be a bit of paradox out there,” says Sylvain Charlebois, the study’s co-author and a professor of food distribution and policy in Dalhousie. “On the one hand, people are willing to accept the legalization of non-medical marijuana but at the same time they do recognize the societal risks related to doing so.”
The objective of the survey, which was conducted ove a four-week period in August, was to analyze the opinions of Canadians when it came to recreational cannabis being used in food once edible are legalized in July 2018. They also wanted to know if Canadians are open to using it as part of their lifestyle, and how they would make it. The study’s findings also revealed that even though Canadians seemed willing to try edibles, most of the respondents said that they don’t know how to cook with cannabis at home and many still don’t think it’s a healthy ingredient.
According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, legalizing cannabis will keep it out of children’s hands while also denying criminals any profits from the black market. Ottawa’s stance is that the purchase of edibles will be prohibited until they develop regulations on potency, serving sizes, child-resistant packaging, and health warnings. However, Charlebois thinks that cannabis will be legal before they can come up with the necessary regulations. “We should think about rolling out edibles as soon as possible with clear guidelines for the industry,” he says. “Right now, provinces are being absolutely hyper-conservative around the distribution of the commodity instead of thinking about the applications of the commodity at the retail level, like at restaurants and food services.”
Charlebois uses Colorado as an example, where cannabis was legalized back in 2012 without developing regulations to control the sale of edible, which resulted in several cases of minors being sent to the hospital after accidentally eating edibles.
Edibles don’t deserve the bad rep – but are the parents to blame for all the cases of accidental ingestion? The right way forward would be to develop regulations that would allow edible manufacturers to make the necessary changes, although guidelines for edibles are still in its infancy stages. How will companies, parents, and children reconcile these issues in the meantime?
OTHER STORIES YOU MAY ENJOY...
BEST CANNABIS EDIBLES, CLICK HERE.
OR...
