PORTLAND, ME (WGME) — Marijuana edibles are getting into the wrong hands. Last year set yet another record for small children accidentally ingesting THC in Maine and experts fear it’s only going to get worse.
The CBS13 I-Team started reporting on this trend last year.
Over a year later, experts tell the I-Team something needs to change to keep kids out of the emergency room.
“We’ve definitely had an increase of patients coming to the emergency department,” said Dr. Mark Neavyn, an Emergency Department Toxicologist at Maine Medical Center & the Medical Director of Northern New England Poison Center.
Neavyn says they’re admitting dozens of young children for something he never really saw until after marijuana became legal in Maine.
“Nobody knows that they (small children) have ingested the gummy bear between the couch cushion,” Neavyn explained.
It’s a warning the I-Team heard from the Northern New England Poison Center last year: cannabis gummies are finding their way into toddlers’ mouths.
“I had a case just the other day where we figured out a child got 500 times what would be a normal dose just eating some gummies,” Dr. Karen Simone told the I-Team in February of 2023.
The case was one of the record 41 cannabis poisoning calls placed in 2023 to the Northern New England Poison Center.
Neavyn says, to make matters worse, many of these cases are scary to see and treat.
“Occasionally, we have kids who need high amounts of oxygen or even pressurized oxygen through something called a BiPAP machine,” said Neavyn.
Young children often end up in the ICU for days, left to wait out the high.
Stephanie Grindley, I-Team reporter: “Are there possibilities where a child could die if not seen by a medical professional in time for certain exposure to cannabis?”
Neavyn: “So, we have not seen a death from cannabis, and I think that’s great. But I think that also can sometimes be a talking point. That doesn’t mean somebody can’t. In a little kid who’s not breathing appropriately, they could aspirate and develop a pneumonia.”
According to the state’s poison center, of the serious poisonings, cannabis is sending twice the number of small children to the ER compared to opioids.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the problem gets worse,” Maine Office of Cannabis Policy Director John Hudak said when revisiting the numbers of accidental ingestions with the I-Team.
Hudak believes state lawmakers are not heeding the warning signs from the poison center.
“A few vocal operators, bottom line, being put over public health,” Hudak said when speaking about the most recent legislative session.
That’s because the legislature passed a bill that allows edible makers to remove the universal THC warning stamp on individual edible.
The repeal makes it that once gummies are taken out of their bags, there’s no visual cue that they contain cannabis.
“It creates risks for parents who might think a product is not infused and give it to a younger person,” said Hudak.’
But many in the cannabis industry do not share the same concern.
“They’re trying to shift the blame away from the parent and on to the industry,” said Maine Cannabis Union member and owner of 1 Mill dispensary, Paul McCarrier. “What we’re seeing here with these numbers is that after it became legal in 2016, we see the numbers increasing. So, you’re seeing people coming forward and being honest with poison control about the fact that people have had cannabis ingestion.”
When it comes to the label, McCarrier says at times it is impractical to emboss and some gummies tend to lose their shape, creating risks of fines for some in the cannabis industry.
Still, doctors say, if nothing changes, more toddlers will head to the ER this year.
“I think safety is a real concern, and I think the cannabis industry should really own that,” said Neavyn.
Grindley: “Do you think enough education is being done for the parents out there?”
Hudak replied: “Oh, absolutely not. I think there needs to be a lot more education at the point of sale.
“You can explain that to people all you want. But are they going to follow through with it,” asked McCarrier. “When it comes down to personal responsibility, is that something we can legislate?”
The Office of Cannabis Policy just recently started handing out free safe-storage bags for cannabis products. They’ve given away over 2,100. Hudak believes this is a sign there is collective concern among Mainers over accidental ingestion.
You might be wondering, are there repercussions when a parents or guardian calls the poison center for a minor who has eaten cannabis.
Health officials stress accidents do happen, and say the parents are taking the right first step in calling for help. There’s no repercussions to that.
But, if while on the line the parent doesn’t listen to the advice from the experts from the poison center, especially if it’s a bad case where they feel the child should go to the hospital, then CPS gets a call.
