Law enforcement warns of the dangers of teens consuming high levels of edibles - WBRC
SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - There’s been a recent uptick in teens getting high on edibles laced with marijuana and/or CBD, and it’s landing many in the hospital including children right here in Alabama.
It’s a very troubling trend, one the Commanders of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is very passionate about.
He said kids as young as fifth grade are consuming these edibles at dangerous levels, making them very sick.
It’s a growing trend sweeping the nation—thousands of school-aged children using edibles as a way of getting stoned.
“Young adults, students, juveniles using marijuana products, consumables, and those are in the forms of candies, gummies, or even vape devices. So, yes there is an increase…a noticeable increase even among our emergency department admissions,” said Operations Commander of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Maj. Clay Hammac.
Teens are underestimating the harmful effects from edibles, often consuming too much, leading to unpredictable side effects.
Maj. Hammac said marijuana laws are becoming more laxed making it easier for children and teens to get their hands on the products.
“So, now what happens is we have middle school aged students who can actually walk into their local gas station and purchase some of these edible gummies that have high concentrations of THC, and you would assume there would be an age requirement for that. Tragically, the way the law is written, there is not,” Maj. Hammac explained.
Experts at Any Lab Test Now said younger children tend to get the edibles from older siblings and friends or steal them from a parent’s stash.
Maj. Hammac said concentrated levels of cannabis products can lead to psychotic episodes and hallucinations and there’s no way to tell what the long-term effects might be.
“The cannabis plant from the 60s and 70s traditionally contained about five to 10% THC concentration, and that’s that concentration that creates that euphoric high, but now the concentrates today, the edibles, the gummies, the candies, the oils, the vape pens, those can actually have concentrations that are marketed as containing upwards of 80 to 90% THC concentration,” Maj. Hammac said.
He said it’s up to parents and caregivers to have these tough, but important conversations with their children about marijuana use.
For more information on how to start those conversations, click here.
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source: https://www.wbrc.com/2022/04/21/law-enforcement-warns-dangers-teens-consuming-high-levels-edibles/
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