Health Canada is warning Canadians about potent illegal “copycat” cannabis edibles and the dangers they pose to children.
On Wednesday, the government department issued an advisory notice saying there has been an increasing rate of children being hospitalized or sent to poison control centres after accidentally ingesting these products.
The consequences of children eating potent cannabis edibles can be serious, possibly resulting in a coma or the need for a child to be temporarily put on a ventilator. Health Canada says that although there has been no domestic cases of paediatric cannabis poisoning resulting in death it is aware of international incidents where that has happened.
To help mitigate this problem, Health Canada recommends that people store their cannabis products securely and out of reach from children and that consumers only purchase legal and regulated cannabis products from authorized retailers.
The advisory notice issued by Health Canada included images of several of these illicit products, ranging from cannabis-infused Fruit Gushers, Twinkies and Starbursts to Cheetos, Skittles and “Double Stuf Stoneos” resembling Oreo cookies.
Stoneo cookies. Photo via Health Canada
Read more: More children are accidentally getting high after legalization: study
Read more: Illicit edibles contain pesticides and don’t have the advertised THC: OCS report
Legal cannabis edibles are only permitted to have 10 milligrams of THC per package and these illegal copycat products can contains hundreds.
A study released in January by the American Academy of Pediatrics derived from National Poison Data System statistics showed that there was an alarming 1,375 per cent increase in incidents of children accidentally ingesting cannabis edibles throughout the United States between 2017-2021.
A study from the Ontario Cannabis Store and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) released last April detailed how illicit cannabis edibles have falsely advertised THC content and can contain pesticides that would not be authorized in regulated cannabis products.
In July of 2021, British Columbia’s Victoria Police issued a statement warning of the dangers of children accidentally eating cannabis edibles following an incident where five kids were sent to hospital after ingesting some “Stoney Patch” candy imitating Sour Patch Kids . However, the police department neglected to mention that the edibles ingested by the kids were illegally produced at the time.
rowan@mugglehead.com
