CHILDREN AND CANNABIS EDIBLES: WHAT HAPPENS IF A CHILD EATS A CANNABIS PRODUCT?

CHILDREN AND CANNABIS EDIBLES: WHAT HAPPENS IF A CHILD EATS A CANNABIS PRODUCT?

Many cannabis edibles are sold as sweet or salty treats that look like regular candy, chips or cookies. Children find such products naturally appealing. However, if a child accidentally ingests a cannabis edible, they can experience serious and sometimes life-threatening side effects. It is therefore important to know what to do if a child accidentally eats a cannabis edible.

What are cannabis edibles?

Cannabis edibles are food products made from cannabis that contain one or more of the active ingredients in cannabis. Cannabis products often look like ordinary sweets and confectionery. The most common cannabis edibles are:

With the legalisation of cannabis, interest in these snacks is growing. Cannabis edibles that contain only CBD have even been found to help treat ailments such as anxiety and chronic pain.

How common is it for children to accidentally consume products containing THC?

As the number of recreational and medicinal cannabis users increases , so does the number of parents who store cannabis edibles at home that resemble tempting sweets and candies. Consequently, the number of children who inadvertently ingest cannabis products is also increasing.

In 2020, the American Association of Poison Control Centers recorded more than 3,000 cases of children being exposed to cannabis products. The majority of these cases involved children aged 5 years and under.

One study examined calls to poison control centres between 2017 and 2021 regarding cannabis ingestion by children. It found that between 2017 and 2021, 7,043 cases of ingestion of cannabis products by children under 6 years of age were reported to the National Poison Data System.

What happens if a child eats cannabis edibles?

Edible cannabis products such as chocolate bars, biscuits, gummy candies or brownies mimic the appearance of regular sweets and confectionery, which children in particular love. Despite their plain appearance, just one cookie or gummy candy can contain up to several times the recommended adult dose of THC. If your child eats a cannabis edible or drinks a THC-containing drink, he or she may become poisoned by the THC substance. Signs that your child has ingested a cannabis product include:

  • Altered perception,
  • rapid heartbeat
  • paranoia,
  • anxiety,
  • panic,
  • nausea or vomiting,
  • dizziness,
  • slurred speech,
  • breathing difficulties,
  • poor coordination of movement,
  • drowsiness,
  • respiratory arrest.

Symptoms in your child may vary depending on their height and weight, this is the same as medicines which affect people in different ways depending on their height and weight. It is important to remember that the THC in cannabis products does not start to take effect until 30 to 60 minutes after consumption. These effects are likely to continue for a further 3 to 4 hours.

What to do if a child eats a product containing THC?

If your child inadvertently eats a THC-containing edible, it is imperative that you first try to find out exactly what they have eaten and how much they have eaten. This information can help doctors or poison control centres to determine the most appropriate treatment. As in the case of unintentional ingestion of any other drug, parents should consider contacting poison control centers or taking their child to a medical emergency room. The child needs immediate help, even if he or she is not showing any symptoms. It may take some time for the effects of the drug to become apparent. However, if your child's symptoms appear severe, call the emergency services immediately.

How can I prevent children from getting hold of products containing THC?

The best way to ensure that children are not exposed to cannabis edibles is not to have them in the home at all. However, if you do have cannabis in your home, you must take extra precautions. For example:

  • Store cannabis edibles in a locked cupboard or in a place where children cannot access them,
  • never storecannabis foods in thesame place as other foods, as most cannabis foods are packaged to resemble familiar sweets such as gummy bears or biscuits and a child will not be able to tell the difference,
  • do not consume cannabis foods in the presence of children,
  • if visitors bring these treats to your home, ensure that they are always out of reach of children and that they do not consume them while your children are being supervised,
  • store them in a container secured with a childproof lock.

By taking these small precautions, you can prevent unwanted ingestion of THC products by children and avoid unwanted hospital visits.

Keep cannabis edibles out of the reach of children

The legalisation of cannabis has led to a proliferation of products such as cannabis snacks, which can resemble the appearance of candy and other sweets that attract young children. If you store cannabis food at home, it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the signs of possible poisoning. If you do consume cannabis edibles, always store them in a safe place where children can't get to them.


You can choose from a variety of cannabis edibles in our online shop, from cannabis biscuits to cannabis gummies. Buy the one that appeals to you the most, but remember to keep them out of the reach of children!