Candy Catastrophe: Marijuana Edibles Sending Children to the Hospital

News reports from Pennsylvania show marijuana edibles are sending more children to the hospital.

Doctors say increased access to candy and snack foods laced with THC are to blame.

WTAJ reports,

Children who accidentally consume THC-laced edibles often experience severe medical emergencies, including respiratory depression, seizures, and even coma. Nationwide, cases of edible cannabis exposure in children under 6 jumped from 207 in 2017 to 3,054 in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Across America, public health data shows marijuana products are sending kids to the emergency room.

Marijuana edibles often mimic popular foods, making it easy for children to confuse them with name-brand snacks. And because marijuana edibles may contain high concentrations of THC, the effects are much more dangerous — particularly for small children.

Heavy marijuana use is associated with an increased risk of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. This is particularly true for children and teens who are already at risk for these conditions.

And regular marijuana use also is linked to increased risks of certain cancersbirth defectsheart attack, and stroke.

All of this simply underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Trump’s Order Restores Biological Truth to Federal Gender Policies

Shortly after his inauguration on Monday, President Trump signed a slew of executive orders changing the Biden Administration’s policies — including an order stating something that has been obvious for most of human history: Men are male and women are female.

The order titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government” restores the definition of “sex” in federal law to mean “male or female.”

The measure brings much-needed clarity to federal policy by saying that “sex” is not a synonym for “gender identity.”

Under this executive order, federal agencies must use the traditional interpretation of “male,” “female,” “man,” and “woman,” and government IDs and employee records must reflect biological sex rather than gender identity.

The order also will help ensure men are not housed with women in prisons and that public funds are not used to pay for sex-change procedures on people in federal custody.

Over the past four years we have seen the Biden Administration work to advance radical, transgender ideas that erase the distinction between male and female in our laws.

For example, last year the Biden Administration released more than 1,500 pages of new rules drastically redefining “sex” under Title IX to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Under these rules, public schools could have been forced to let biological males compete in women’s sports and use girls’ locker rooms, showers, and changing areas at school. Fortunately, people across America — including Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin — filed lawsuits to block the Biden Administration’s new rules.

President Trump’s executive order will help block bad federal policies like this one.

During President Obama’s time at the White House, we saw wave after wave of radical LGBT policies rolled out at the federal level. However, Americans experienced a four-year reprieve under the Trump Administration. The Biden Administration doubled-down on promoting pro-LGBT policies that were bad for Americans.

The next four years may give the nation another break from radical gender ideology in the federal government. That is good, but it isn’t necessarily a long term solution. Ultimately, these problems can only be solved by changing hearts and minds and clarifying our federal laws.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Budget Proposal Includes $2M Investment in Maternal Wellness and Helping Women in Arkansas

A state budget proposal for Arkansas’ Department of Finance and Administration includes $2 million for pro-life charities that help women with unplanned pregnancies.

H.B. 1202 by the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee allocates funds for various state programs, grants, and administrative needs in Arkansas’ upcoming 2025-2026 budget cycle.

The measure includes $2 million in funding for grants to pregnancy help organization.

Under H.B. 1202, grant money could go to pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies, and other charitable organizations that provide material support to women with unplanned pregnancies.

The State of Arkansas also could award funding to charities that promote infant and maternal wellness and reduce infant and maternal mortality by:

  • Providing nutritional information and/or nutritional counseling;
  • Providing prenatal vitamins;
  • Providing a list of prenatal medical care options;
  • Providing social, emotional, and/or material support; or
  • Providing referrals for WIC and community-based nutritional services, including but not limited to food banks, food pantries, and food distribution centers.

The measure makes it clear that grant money could not go to abortionists or their affiliates.

Since 2022 Family Council has worked with the Arkansas Legislature and the governor to secure funding every year for pregnancy resource centers. These state-funded grants have helped support dozens of charities that assist women and children in Arkansas.

The grants are optional. Pregnancy resource centers are not required to accept public tax dollars if they do not want to. But for those who do receive grant money, the funding may make a tremendous difference.

Pro-lifers in Arkansas have worked hard to generally prohibit abortion. We need to work to make abortion irrelevant and unthinkable as well. Supporting pregnancy resource centers is one way we can do that.

Pregnancy resource centers provide women with real options besides abortion — making it less likely they will travel out of state or abortion or order illegal abortion drugs online.

H.B. 1202 will provide real support to women and families in Arkansas. You can read the budget measure here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.