Marijuana – Page 136 – Family Council

Major News Outlet: Marijuana Edibles “Sending Kids to the ER”

May 25, 2016Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

We have written repeatedly about how hospitals and emergency rooms are seeing more and more cases of accidental marijuana ingestion by children.

Because marijuana edibles often look like normal snack food, children mistake them as harmless. And because marijuana edibles often contain high concentrations of marijuana’s active ingredients, the effects of the marijuana are much more dangerous–particularly in small children, who seem to be most at risk.

NBC’s “Today” writes,

Marijuana is now legal for either recreational or medical use in 24 states and the District of Columbia. But “edibles” containing marijuana are spreading everywhere, and kids are getting hurt from California to New York. Last year alone, poison control facilities across the country reported 4,000 kids and teens exposed to marijuana.

Another issue we have highlighted before is the dangerous method many marijuana users employ to extract marijuana’s active ingredients.

Volatile chemicals–like butane–are used to extract hash oil from marijuana. Earlier this month police say a New Mexico man caused an explosion when he lit a pipe to smoke marijuana, but accidentally ignited the butane gas police say he was using to extract hash oil.

Situations like this one are particularly dangerous for apartment dwellers; in November of 2013 Seattle news outlets reported an elderly Washington resident was killed after a neighbor’s apartment exploded as a result of a hash oil operation.

These stories underscore what we continue to say: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

WA Man Sentenced for Giving Marijuana Cake to His Four-Year-Old Daughter

May 24, 2016Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

According to news sources, a Washington man has pleaded guilty to giving his 4-year-old daughter a piece of chocolate cake infused with marijuana.

The man reportedly went to his daughter’s daycare, where he gave her the cake. The girl later became “extremely lethargic,” and was taken to a local hospital, where she tested positive for THC–the main, active ingredient in marijuana.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Across the country, accidental exposure to marijuana has become a major problem–especially among children.

May, 2016: Hospitals in Colorado report a spike in the number of newborns born with marijuana in their systems.
April, 2016: A Georgia woman was arrested after her five year old said he ate a marijuana cake for breakfast. The child was taken to the hospital for treatment following the incident; according to officials, his pulse was measured at over 200 beats per minute. According to the child’s mother, the cake laced with marijuana was given to her by another person.
March, 2015: Four high school students were hospitalized after eating brownies laced with marijuana hash oil. One student was actually found unresponsive in a school bathroom after eating a marijuana-laced brownie.
February, 2015: A 20-month-old Canadian toddler overdosed after eating a marijuana-laced cookie authorities say his father baked. The child survived, but suffered seizures and had to be admitted to a hospital.
December, 2014: A high school teacher in Maryland was hospitalized after a student gave her a brownie containing marijuana.
December, 2014: Two middle school students in Oklahoma were rushed to the hospital after one of them reportedly passed out following marijuana-use at school.
November, 2014: A Connecticut teen was taken to the hospital from school after she started having difficulty breathing following ingestion of a marijuana-laced gummy bear.
June, 2014: According to The Aspen Times, a seven-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after eating marijuana-laced candy her mother brought home from work at an area hotel. The candy was left by a hotel guest–presumably as a tip.
December, 2013: A two-year-old in Colorado overdosed and was hospitalized after eating a cookie laced with marijuana.News outlet indicate the girl found the cookie in the yard of an apartment complex.

Ingestion of marijuana by children is a very serious problem. Earlier this year, WMGT ran a news story on the matter, saying,

Dr. Christy Peterson, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Medical Center, Navicent Health, said the effects of marijuana are greater and more unpredictable on children than adults.

“Teenagers or adults, it may feel like sleepiness, but in a kid it can look like lethargy and it can even, in severe cases, lead to coma. . . .

“It makes them sleepy, agitated and ataxia which means that they can’t walk very well. It makes them seem disoriented. It makes them not perform well at school or be able to control their body. Hand-eye coordination would be decreased,” said Dr. Peterson.

As some states have legalized marijuana, stories like these have become more common. All of this underscores what we keep saying: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Man Driving Under Influence of Marijuana Gets 4 Years for Killing Pedestrian

May 18, 2016Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

A 27-year-old Oregon man has been sentenced to 4 years in jail for striking and killing a pedestrian shortly after smoking marijuana.

The case is significant, because it is one of the first cases of deadly drugged driving to come up in Oregon since the state legalized so-called “recreational” marijuana.

According to news sources, the driver in question will be eligible for release from jail with good behavior in just a little over three years.

This tragic case underscores what we have said time and time again: The idea that marijuana somehow is “harmless” or has never killed anyone simply is not true. Marijuana has caused and contributed to many deaths. There are no two ways about it.