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Cannabis edibles leave several children in hospital

Posted: 14 August 2020 | | 2 comments

Health Canada issues a warning to consumers about cannabis edibles, including how to recognise legitimate products and safe storage, after several children accidentally ingested illegal products.

child looking in fridge

Several children have been hospitalised following the ingestion of illegal edible cannabis products in Canada.

Health Canada has issued a warning to consumers that “they should only purchase cannabis from authorized provincial and territorial retailers, online or in brick-and-mortar stores”.

The products were reported to have a similar appearance to regular sweets or food and were not kept in child-resistant packaging. The Department has said that the products had been stored in locations such as fridges and freezers.

Whether purchased or homemade, cannabis products must be securely stored, out of reach of children and young persons. 

In its warning, Health Canada reminded consumers that obtaining cannabis from illegal sources can carry potential health risks. This is because they are not regulated and do not meet the set safety and quality controls outlined in the Cannabis Act.

“Legal cannabis products must be sold in child-resistant and tamper-evident packaging, and the immediate container must be opaque or translucent. Edible cannabis products may legally contain a maximum of 10 milligrams of THC per package,” the Government department’s statement read.

How to identify legal cannabis

Health Canada issued the following advice for recognising legal cannabis.

  • Cannabis products sold by licensed retailers, containing more than 0.3 percent THC, are required to have an excise stamp at the point of sale. Find your provincial excise stamp here.
  • Does the packaging and labelling include appropriate warning messages and information about the product? It should do!
  • Provincially and territorially authorised retailers are the only legal way to purchase cannabis for non-medical purposes in Canada. Most provinces and territories list the locations in which legal cannabis can be purchased online and in stores.
  • Edible cannabis products are limited to a maximum of 10mg THC per package.

For more information, visit http://tiny.cc/1v9nsz.

2 responses to “Cannabis edibles leave several children in hospital”

  1. Keep your cannabis edibles in places you would keep your alcohol. Yes, mother, it IS your fault that your child ate those medicated gummies.

    You can have too much cannabis and feel awful, especially children, but adults cannot overdose.

  2. Karl Tombstone says:

    Not one of those children died. They got really high, but with that many cases and no deaths, their lives were apparently not in danger. No deaths (thank goodness), no overdoses, just a whole bunch of parental negligence! Pay attention parent’s, please!

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