By almost every standard, legalizing cannabis has gone off without a hitch and had some incredible results. No more pointless arrests, fewer kids are using cannabis and opioid use has even decreased in some legal states. However, one unintended consequence of legalization is that the rate of accidental marijuana ingestion by children has gone up.
Reports of accidental consumption have been popping up everywhere from legitimate sources —no reefer madness paranoia. The same day 9 elementary schoolers were hospitalized in Ohio for eating infused gummies, 15 middle schoolers were sent home after being given edibles from classmates.
These situations can result in some serious consequences for some. After handing out gummies that contained cannabis to 6 classmates, a 12 year old in Florida may be facing 7 felony charges. It’s unclear whether he even knew they were cannabis-infused.
Kids aren’t the only ones affected by this problem. A man in Minnesota ate 2 unmarked brownies infused with cannabis, and after being randomly drug tested, he was fired from his government job. All because he couldn’t tell the difference between a regular unmarked brownie and a THC-infused brownie.
If an adult can’t tell the difference, how do we expect children to? How can there be a visible way to distinguish edibles from regular food?
The solution is to mark your edibles! Colorado, Nevada and Massachusetts created laws requiring all edibles to have a state-specified symbol displayed on the actual food product. As companies wise up to this necessity, and labeling requirements are put in place in more legal states, Baked Smart is standing ready to help cannabis companies and consumers making edibles at home keep their THC-infused goodies away from unwilling participants.
