There are lots of reasons parents consume cannabis, including decreasing their stress levels while staying focused, therapeutic reasons like sleep, pain or mood management, or just to make playing with their kids fun and easier.  And many parents who consume cannabis choose edibles over other forms because they’re smoke-free, discreet, and convenient. But with edibles comes a very important topic for parents to think about: safety. In particular, what are some things parents can do to keep their kids safe around edibles?

For parents, edibles are arguably the most important cannabis product to keep safe because kids can so easily mistake them for non-infused food. Younger children (and pets) are especially vulnerable because they are unable to read the THC warnings on cannabis packaging.  

Are cannabis edibles poisoning our kids?

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a report on cannabis edibles poisonings among children in Canada since legalization.  This study looked at the number of hospitalizations for kids 9 and under from accidental cannabis ingestion.  The data in the study tells us that the average age of a child who gets into their parents’ edibles is 3.6 years old.  68% of kids in the study were under 6 years old.

Knowing this, we can extrapolate that these poisonings are accidental, and not instances of kids looking to get high or see what weed is all about, which we might expect from older kids and teens.  And indeed, many cannabis edibles look and taste a lot like candy or other delicious snacks that kids can easily mistake for an uninfused treat. 

What the data doesn’t tell us is exactly how many of these poisonings are the result of illicit edibles, which are often packaged in fun, brightly colored containers that may not be child-proof or contain a THC warning symbol. We can consider Quebec’s reports as a proxy for unregulated edibles, since there are not regulated edibles available within that province. That gives us an idea that some of these reports come from illicit edibles.

Are parents less likely to report poisonings when edibles are illegal?

A second thing we can’t fully know from the data is how much of the differences between Quebec and the rest of Canada are due to a reporting bias, since parents are more likely to report their child taking edibles in jurisdictions where they’re legally available.  In other words, parents in Quebec may be less likely to report edibles overdoses because products accessed there are more likely to be illicit.

We can see from the data that reports of edibles overdoses in kids increased from period 1 (when edibles weren’t yet legal) to period 2 (when edibles became legal, but still weren’t legally accessible).  In other words, parents felt more comfortable reporting edibles poisonings when edibles were legal, even though they were still reporting consumption of illegal edibles.  From this, we can draw the conclusion that parents are more likely to report the poisoning and seek help for their child in jurisdictions where edibles are allowed.  This means that the data is likely not capturing as many of the edibles poisonings in Quebec as in Alberta, BC, and Ontario (where they are legal).

What is the best approach to maintaining public health and safety?

Despite not having all the data, we can draw the conclusion that young kids are accessing edibles, regardless of whether they came from the regulated or unregulated market.  The 10mg limit on edibles isn’t protecting kids from accidentally consuming edibles.  Neither are the plain and child-resistant packaging rules, nor the marketing restrictions that require coverings on retail store windows and attempt to prevent children from ever seeing or hearing about cannabis. 

If regulators want to protect children from accidental consumption, a much better approach is to educate Canadians, including our kids, about cannabis.  When public health policies aren’t working to protect the public health, regulators need to change their approach.  By taking an education-focused approach, public health officials can help parents understand the risks associated with kids consuming cannabis and teach parents to take appropriate precautions when storing their edibles. They can also give kids (and parents) age-appropriate education about cannabis, who should consume it, and who should avoid it.

How do we keep kids safe around edibles?

Here are three things you can do to make your home safer:

• Keep your edibles in their original container.  These have large THC warning labels and are child-proof (if you open and close them properly).  And while it’s definitely easier to open that pack of gummies with a pair of scissors, remember that you won’t be able to close it again. Follow the opening instructions on the package or ask your budtender for help.

• Keep your edibles out of reach of small children (and pets). They can’t read the THC warnings, so it’s best to prevent them from interacting with the packaging in the first place.  Using a locked container will provide an additional layer of safety for parents with more curious children. 
• Talk to your kids about cannabis.  It’s never too early to start the conversation. Topics can include what they’ve heard from friends or classmates, portrayals they’ve seen in media, or what they have been observing about your cannabis consumption, perhaps without you even realizing it.  

How do I talk to my kid about weed?

When you want to start the weed conversation, first consider your own relationship with cannabis and your biases and perspective.  Be truthful and honest about your own experiences and admit when you don’t know something.  Kids want the truth, and we gain trust as parents when we can be a primary source of information.

When it’s time to start talking use it as an opportunity to teach your kids how to think critically about information. Ask young kids if they’ve ever heard of cannabis, and what they know about it. They might surprise you with the knowledge they’ve picked up! You can ask who they think cannabis is for and whether or not kids should consume it.

For kids who are a bit older, you can mention news stories about edibles and ask them what they think. Ask questions like, “What do you think healthy cannabis use looks like?”  or “When do you think you’ll start consuming edibles?”  No matter what they say, stay calm and avoid judging or punishing them. You want to keep an open dialogue going.  Our kids are constantly getting more information and we can help them discern whether or not something is right for them.

How can I keep my teen safe around edibles?

This recent study only looked at hospitalizations of kids under age 10. Keeping older kids and teens safe around edibles often requires more nuance than a simple “out of sight, out of mind” approach. Older kids and teens are more interested in experimenting with cannabis, so helping them make the right decisions for themselves requires open conversations about cannabis, how it works, and how it affects the consumer. Every family is unique, so your approach to cannabis will be unique too. 

If you learn that your teen is already consuming edibles, do your best to arm them with facts and information.  Help them understand the effects of cannabis on their growing mind and body and focus on harm reduction.  Abstinence-based approaches rarely work. Rather, they can drive teens to hide their cannabis consumption instead of having open discussions about it with their parents. You might also want to understand the reasons your teen is consuming and help them explore alternative options to achieve those outcomes.