Colo. kids get into pot candy, prompt calls for childproof packaging

Children's Hospital Colorado saw 14 children come into the emergency room after ingesting cannabis candy in the two years following medical marijuana legalization in the state, reports the Denver Post.

Studies of ER charts by Colorado doctors show looser pot laws leading to childhood ingestion, often from mistakenly eating tempting "edibles" like marijuana-infused gummy worms or brownies. Those doctors are now calling for mandatory safety packaging as Colorado plans for even broader pot legality with recreational-marijuana stores.

"We've seen a dramatic increase in pediatric exposure," said Dr. George Wang, a Children's ER doctor who also works with Denver Health's Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center. Calls about potential marijuana exposure at all ages have doubled since 2009 at the poison center.

Many industry members already sell goods with a tamper-proof seal. But putting each individual joint or candy into a high-tech, lockable container whose cost would be prohibitively expensive, as the containers can cost up to $7 each, even in bulk.

"They'll have to buy so much tamper-proof packaging that people will just make it themselves at home," said Robin Hackett, co-owner of Botana Care, a medical-marijuana store in Northglenn. "The challenge is with a pound of butter and some cannabis, anybody can make edibles."