As of this week, marijuana-infused gummy bears can no longer be sold in Colorado.  On October 1, a law banned marijuana treats in the shape of animal, people or otherwise designed to appeal to children.   Smart Colorado, a non-profit group, worked diligently to pass child protection laws.

As Colorado tightens restrictions on the sale of marijuana edibles, the problems with pot candies have reached other states.   Children all around the country have accidentally eaten pot-infused sweets and turned up in hospital emergency rooms.

Other states have pot gummy bears, too

Family Council, a group in Arkansas, published this information.

• August, 2017: A baby in Wisconsin ate part of a marijuana-infused cookie which allegedly belonged to the child’s babysitter and had to be hospitalized.
• August, 2017: A 10-month-old baby in Indiana was hospitalized after eating a gummy bear laced with THC, the cannabinoid in marijuana which produces a high.
• July, 2017:  Two children in Florida, ages 3 and 5, ate gummy candies laced with marijuana. A 20-year-old woman who lived in the same house left the candies open, within reach of the children.
• June, 2017: A Rhode Island toddler nearly died from overdosing on “medical” marijuana edibles which allegedly belonged to her grandfather.
• May, 2017: Two children in Utah were hospitalized after mistakenly eating a cookie laced with marijuana.
• May, 2017: A ten-year-old in New York was reportedly hospitalized after accidentally eating candy infused with marijuana.  The boy’s father bought the candy as “medical marijuana.”
• March, 2017:  A two-year-old suffering from lethargy was taken to the hospital in Nebraska, where she tested positive for THC.  The child’s daycare provider reportedly admitted to serving the child cookies that were baked in a pan previously used to bake marijuana brownies.
• March, 2017: A five-year-old in Ohio ate a gummy bear laced with THC and later went to the hospital. The child reportedly found the gummy bear in a dresser drawer and mistook it for ordinary candy.
• August, 2016  Nineteen people, mostly children and teens fell sick from eating marijuana candies at a birthday party in San Francisco.  All of them went to the hospital and the youngest was only 6 years old.

Teenagers and adults exposed

• October, 2017, a 14-year-old girl in Nevada passed out on a drug dealer/user’s porch, after doing marijuana “dabs.”
• March, 2017: A high school student in Ohio was hospitalized after eating a brownie laced with marijuana. A second student also required medical attention, according to news reports.
• July, 2017: Eleven teenagers ate gummy bears tainted with THC  in Elkhart, Indiana, and ended up in the hospital.  The teens complained of rapid heartbeat, leg pain, and blurry vision.  As in most cases, reports don’t mention who acquired and dispersed the tainted candy.
• May, 2017: A woman in Oregon responded called emergency services to report of hallucinations and abnormal breathing following marijuana use. She went to the hospital. The next day police and medical personnel responded to another woman who had overdosed on chocolate laced with marijuana.
• January, 2017: A middle school student in Massachusetts overdosed after eating several gummy bears laced  marijuana that he found on a school bus.
• December, 2016: A thirteen-year-old Michigan boy smoked a concentrated paste extracted from marijuana, which would be considered a “dab,” “wax” or “shatter.“
• March, 2017: In Washington, a woman went psychotic from a joint soaked in wax that she purchased at a dispensary.

State of Washington tries to control edibles problem, too

• Representatives from the Washington Poison Center report receiving calls regarding children accidentally ingesting marijuana edibles at least once per week.
• July, 2017: A 14-month-old baby in Washington mistakenly ate candy laced with marijuana.
• Also in Washington, a grandfather who was babysitting found some edibles and gave them to a 5-year-old and 7-year-old.  The Washington Poison Center told a reporter of this incident.

The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board says it requires child-proof packaging and a warning on all marijuana edibles.
Washington State Legislature passed House Bill-1250 that would allow marijuana retailers to give free lock boxes for customers to store their products.

Several tragedies occurred last year, including the incident which sent 19 people to hospitals after eating marijuana brownies at a party in San Francisco.

Last year, one 11-month-old baby in

Colorado died, presumably after ingesting marijuana, according to a medical journal.  The 2016 HIDTA report also revealed this incident and numerous other poisonings.  

The baby wouldn’t have understood the stamp that Colorado has required on all edibles since October 2016.

We thank Family Council for keeping track of this information.  We thank Smart Colorado for forcing Colorado legislators to adopt more child protection measures.