Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Kids and candy go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Kids and weed-laced candy? Not so much. Rather, not at all.
Just ask Antonio Neuaone, a Sheboygan, Wis. father whose three-year-old landed up "minimally responsive" in the emergency room after accidentally eating one of his pot-infused confections left on a table at a child's birthday party.
Neuaone, who allegedly waited a day to take his toddler to the hospital to see if his high would wear off, now faces criminal charges, including child neglect resulting in bodily harm and obstructing an officer.
What that happened to Neuaone's son is far from unique. In fact, in step with the legalization of medical marijuana in 25 states and Washington, D.C., the dangerous "oops" is becoming increasingly more common, with babies as young as 8-months-old falling ill after swallowing medical marijuana and THC-infused edibles, both of which are still illegal under federal law.
To curb the rising problem, Washington State, which legalized medical marijuana in 1998 and recreational cannabis in 2012, recently proposed labeling edible marijuana products dispensed from legal pot dispensaries within its borders. The suggested label, revealed yesterday by the Washington Poison Center, comprises a big, red hand in an open-palmed "stop" position. It reads "Not For Kids" in bold all-caps letters. An emergency number to call in case of accidental ingestion, and for additional information, also appears on the label.
Images of the proposed red-handed warning labels, issued yesterday in a Washington Poison Center PDF, contain the following statement:
"Marijuana is not for kids. Like alcohol and tobacco, kids need to know that marijuana products can be very harmful to them. Place these stickers on products that aren't for kids and explain to them what the sticker means and why it's important ... Use age-appropriate language to educate and explain why this product is harmful for kids. For example: "When children eat this, it can make them very sick because it contains marijuana - which is a drug."
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board will include the proposed warning label for all edible cannabis products in its draft rules. The Board is expected to file the rules on Aug. 10, 2016. If the rules "follow an expected timeline," the label will be required starting on January 17, 2017.
To many, the labels can't arrive soon enough. "The number of calls to the Washington Poison Center related to marijuana exposures reached a single-year high in 2015 with 272 calls," Dr. Alexander Garrard, managing director of Washington State's poison center, said in a statement issued yesterday. "With more than 150 calls already this year, it is our hope that the Not for Kids label and our increased education efforts will equip parents and caregivers with the tools to have a conversation with their loved ones ages 1 to 21."
The design is actually not the first put forward. An initial pot product warning label floated by Evergreen State poison control officials didn't make the cut, reports the Associated Press. The rejected symbol, described as "Mr. Yuk" and earlier suggested by Washington's Liquor and Cannabis Board, reportedly depicted a lime green emoji-like face that appears to be gagging, its tongue hanging out.
So what Lilach Power, mother of two and co-founder and president of The Giving Tree Wellness Center, an Arizona licensed medical marijuana dispensary with locations in Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona, is eager to see labels for pot edibles that help keep them out of children's curious hands. "Products that look like something our kids would eat are a serious concern here at our own practice and throughout the industry," she told Entrepreneur during a phone interview today. "We sell lock boxes to patients to keep the product safely stored away from children. We need to explain to the patients, 'Even though it looks like a gummy bear, this will take your kids to the emergency room.' I'm delighted at the conversation is opening up and Washington [State] is taking an important first step with these labels."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: The First 'Not For Kids' Warning Label For Marijuana Products
Author: Kim Lachance Shandrow
Contact: The Hour
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: The Hour
Just ask Antonio Neuaone, a Sheboygan, Wis. father whose three-year-old landed up "minimally responsive" in the emergency room after accidentally eating one of his pot-infused confections left on a table at a child's birthday party.
Neuaone, who allegedly waited a day to take his toddler to the hospital to see if his high would wear off, now faces criminal charges, including child neglect resulting in bodily harm and obstructing an officer.
What that happened to Neuaone's son is far from unique. In fact, in step with the legalization of medical marijuana in 25 states and Washington, D.C., the dangerous "oops" is becoming increasingly more common, with babies as young as 8-months-old falling ill after swallowing medical marijuana and THC-infused edibles, both of which are still illegal under federal law.
To curb the rising problem, Washington State, which legalized medical marijuana in 1998 and recreational cannabis in 2012, recently proposed labeling edible marijuana products dispensed from legal pot dispensaries within its borders. The suggested label, revealed yesterday by the Washington Poison Center, comprises a big, red hand in an open-palmed "stop" position. It reads "Not For Kids" in bold all-caps letters. An emergency number to call in case of accidental ingestion, and for additional information, also appears on the label.
Images of the proposed red-handed warning labels, issued yesterday in a Washington Poison Center PDF, contain the following statement:
"Marijuana is not for kids. Like alcohol and tobacco, kids need to know that marijuana products can be very harmful to them. Place these stickers on products that aren't for kids and explain to them what the sticker means and why it's important ... Use age-appropriate language to educate and explain why this product is harmful for kids. For example: "When children eat this, it can make them very sick because it contains marijuana - which is a drug."
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board will include the proposed warning label for all edible cannabis products in its draft rules. The Board is expected to file the rules on Aug. 10, 2016. If the rules "follow an expected timeline," the label will be required starting on January 17, 2017.
To many, the labels can't arrive soon enough. "The number of calls to the Washington Poison Center related to marijuana exposures reached a single-year high in 2015 with 272 calls," Dr. Alexander Garrard, managing director of Washington State's poison center, said in a statement issued yesterday. "With more than 150 calls already this year, it is our hope that the Not for Kids label and our increased education efforts will equip parents and caregivers with the tools to have a conversation with their loved ones ages 1 to 21."
The design is actually not the first put forward. An initial pot product warning label floated by Evergreen State poison control officials didn't make the cut, reports the Associated Press. The rejected symbol, described as "Mr. Yuk" and earlier suggested by Washington's Liquor and Cannabis Board, reportedly depicted a lime green emoji-like face that appears to be gagging, its tongue hanging out.
So what Lilach Power, mother of two and co-founder and president of The Giving Tree Wellness Center, an Arizona licensed medical marijuana dispensary with locations in Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona, is eager to see labels for pot edibles that help keep them out of children's curious hands. "Products that look like something our kids would eat are a serious concern here at our own practice and throughout the industry," she told Entrepreneur during a phone interview today. "We sell lock boxes to patients to keep the product safely stored away from children. We need to explain to the patients, 'Even though it looks like a gummy bear, this will take your kids to the emergency room.' I'm delighted at the conversation is opening up and Washington [State] is taking an important first step with these labels."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: The First 'Not For Kids' Warning Label For Marijuana Products
Author: Kim Lachance Shandrow
Contact: The Hour
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: The Hour
