A note on THC and young children

A lot of people are getting concerned about kids finding the cannabis-infused edibles being sold legally in CO and WA retail stores. They want better packaging so that little Jane or Johnny aren't able to open Mom's "special" brownies and partake, since they wouldn't know or care that they have THC in them. Although the article portends a serious problem, the statistics undercut the point they're trying to make:

Compared with the 14 children who were treated after consuming marijuana, the hospital treated 48 children who had swallowed acetaminophen — the active ingredient in Tylenol — and 32 who had accidentally taken antihistamines during the same time period.

So just to put this in perspective: the kids who ate large amounts of weed brownies suffered zero side effects. The kids who eat too much Tylenol will suffer liver damage (it is the leading cause of liver damage in the US). The same thing is true for kids who eat too many (adult) vitamins. Iron poisoning from vitamins and supplements is the leading cause of poisoning in children under five.

In both cases, no sane person thinks we should outlaw Tylenol or iron pills. Instead, the packaging needs to be childproofed, and those who buy these substances need clear warnings on the labels. Then, every responsible adult will put their Tylenol, pre-natal vitamins, and their pot brownies together, either locked away, or high above the reach of a child.