It’s a cheap gimmick in bad sitcoms, but for Donna, nothing was funny about it. Her friend made a batch of delicious brownies, and Donna was a sucker for brownies. She tried one bite, and then another, and another…
In no time, Donna inadvertently had ingested an entire pot brownie. But the result of this mishap wasn’t zany behavior that amused her friends and family, but a terrifying, middle-of-the-night panic attack complete with sweating, shaking, and heart palpitations. She was reduced to calling her other friend for support while it was happening. It was an all-around horrifying experience. Her severe reaction to the pot brownie that day will now turn what had always been a tasty delight since her childhood into a reminder of that awful experience.
To be clear, Donna was an adult when she had this experience. But imagine how traumatic a child’s experience of being poisoned by edibles would be. A child who, like Donna, also has a love for brownies. Well, we don’t have to imagine. From 2017 to 2021, pediatric edible marijuana exposures in children under six years old nationwide increased by 1375%, from 207 cases in 2017 to 3054 cases in 2021. Two-year-olds accounted for the largest number of these cases (27.7%), followed closely by three-year-olds (24.6%). A total of 22.7% of these cases resulted in hospital admission. In California, the most populous state, there was a 971% increase in marijuana edible-related calls for children aged five and under from 2017 to 2023.
The children ate the edibles, but the blame does not fall on the two-, three-, or six-year-old for that matter, who had what they thought was just a colorful and tasty treat. We instead place blame on the full-grown adults heading the marijuana industry. The adults who have done everything in their power to get their potent drugs into our kids’ hands. One egregious example is their marketing of hemp-derived marijuana products, many of which contain Delta-8 THC.
You see, Congress loosened regulation on the manufacturing of hemp for industrial purposes, but the relentless addiction-for-profit marijuana industry saw it as an opportunity to create Delta-8 THC derivatives and brazenly market them to youth. Targeted were adolescents especially, but also inadvertently very young children like those who were harmed enough to warrant calls to poison control and hospitalizations. The little ones thought that they were in for a treat, not a morbid trick.
Adolescents aren’t so different from their younger brothers and sisters. Although they may be intentionally taking the marijuana products, the aggressive marketing to their demographic screams manipulation.
The numbers don’t lie. The hemp regulations were loosened in 2018, and between 2021 and 2022, U.S. Poison Control Centers received 2,362 cases from just Delta-8 THC products alone. A whopping 41% of these cases involved pediatric patients, that is, everyone under eighteen. And of the 40% of cases that were unintentional exposures, like Donna’s, 82% affected pediatric patients. It is very easy to connect the dots, and some policymakers already have.
Most prominent on the Delta-8 THC issue is Representative Mary Miller (R-IL), who drafted the Miller Amendment which “changes the definition of hemp… to only include naturally occurring, naturally derived, and non-intoxicating cannabinoids.” Essentially, this halts the usage of hemp to produce intoxicating Delta-8 THC products. In Representative Miller’s own words, “I am offering an amendment to close the loophole that legalized intoxicating hemp products like ‘Delta-8,’ which is being marketed to teenagers and children. These drug-infused products are often sold in colorful packaging next to candy and snacks, which parents strongly oppose!”
Representative Miller specifically cites the parents who have come to her with their concerns, and their advocacy has led to real change. But there is still a lot of work to do. We all must keep the momentum going by meeting with our representatives regarding this issue. They have the power to move the needle on our efforts to fight marijuana normalization, legalization, and commercialization. We agree with Pro-pot Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) on one thing only: don’t underestimate “a mom (or dad) in tennis shoes.”
We want nothing more than to activate parents who would like to take up this fight on behalf of their own and others’ children. If you haven’t already, please explore the Parent Action Network webpage on the Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) website. It is chock-full of resources on how to get involved, including essential knowledge around these topics as well as avenues for and tips on advocacy. Because of our focus on Representative Mary Miller in this article, we would like to spotlight this resource which offers tips on how to communicate with your local legislator. Please take a minute to thank Rep. Miller for her leadership by signing this thank you letter supporting her efforts on the amendment as well. You can read the letter here.
If you want to arm yourself with information and data to support your advocacy efforts, you should know that there are dedicated poison control resources with data and statistics available to the public. The primary resource for information is the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), which also operates the national Poison Help hotline at 1-800-222-1222. This number will connect you to your local poison control center 24/7. Should you want to find your local poison center yourself, see the Safe Kids Worldwide website. They have a page that lists local poison control centers, grouped by state.
Additionally, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) offers poison prevention information and supports poison control centers nationwide. As established by the Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act Amendment of 2003, parents are entitled to free and expert assistance from poison control centers. This includes emergency hotline services, poison prevention education, as well as professional training in poison prevention and treatment. You can use this information when presenting your argument on the harms of THC ingestion and exposure.
The marijuana industry has its story. It invests a lot of money towards manufacturing it, making it as delectable as possible to teens and children, and as infuriating as possible to their parents. But we have our story too. It includes legislators like Representative Mary Miller, SAM, you, and everyone else who has something to say about the encroachment of marijuana harms into our daily lives and families. Together our collective story can change the script.
Nethan Reddy is a contractor with Smart Approaches to Marijuana