HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Pediatric ER Visits are climbing due to the amount of kids ingesting cannabis products in the Commonwealth.
Cannabis, fentanyl and other street drugs are also contributing to a higher number of pediatric deaths this year in Virginia, as well as nationally.
Experts believe part of the reason that more kids are getting ahold of these products is that they look like candy.
That’s one of the many reasons several agencies in the Commonwealth are working to find new ways to bring these numbers down.
“If it’s a gummy or piece of candy, if its something that a child would be normally attracted to, that’s a major problem,” said VCU Health Poison Center Director Dr. S. Rutherfoord “Ruddy” Rose.
Numbers from the Virginia Poison Center at VCU Health show they were called 467 times last year for THC exposure cases, and more than 100 of those were for kids under the age of 5 ingesting edibles, but these numbers don’t even compare to the number of kids who just walked into emergency rooms in the Commonwealth this year.
That number topped 1,200 in the first half of 2023 according to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.
Rose said if you do have these in your home, it’s important to keep them out of sight and locked away.
“Children grow rapidly, and a lot of them have this hand to mouth activity,” Rose said, “and we want to make sure they don’t have easy access to things that they put in their mouth that could be very harmful.”
Rose said they certainly appear to be more toxic in children than they are in adults, so it’s a big concern for poison centers.
Data from VCU shows in nearly 30% of those 467 exposure calls, kids and teens were treated and released, while 6% were admitted to critical care.
When it comes to children under the age of 5, though, 8% of those kids were admitted to critical care for their exposure cases.
The Poison Center at VCU Health is one of three poison centers across the Commonwealth, so it’s important to note, these numbers don’t reflect the entire state, but are still concerning.
Rose said some parents are reluctant to tell the person on the other end of the phone what their child got, but it’s important for them to know so they can help.
“They are embarrassed or feel like they’ll get in trouble and I understand that, but it’s important for us to know what their child got,” Rose said.
Some of the symptoms could include being very drowsy or difficult to wake up.
“If they are awake, they’re sort of what we call loopy,” Rose said. “They may have odd behavior.”
Nationally, more than 100,000 poisoning deaths occur each year and 80% to 90% are due to the opioid epidemic.
Rose said more and more children are getting into things they aren’t supposed to, and it’s not just cannabis. Many are also ingesting street drugs such as opioids and fentanyl.
“Certainly, I think hospitalizations and more serious outcomes are up,” Rose said, “and I think cannabis is one reason for that. I also think the opioid epidemic and having street drugs in people’s homes [is another].”
Third quarter numbers from the VHHA show a decrease in hospitalizations.
In the third quarter, 484 kids went to the hospital, compared to 501 in the same quarter the previous year.
These numbers also follow new legislation that went into effect July 1 limiting the amount of THC in any package to two milligrams.
Jeremy Preiss, acting head of the Cannabis Control Authority, said they were asked by lawmakers last session to look into what other states are doing to ensure these products are being regulated and help advance public health.
“They wanted to know what other states were doing,” Preiss said, “and whether any of those approaches in other states might benefit Virginia.”
Preiss said two of their recommendations this year are focused on minors, including putting them behind the counter and making sure the consumer can produce an ID indicating that they’re at least 21.
“That’s what we do for cigarettes,” Preiss said. “That’s what we do for other types of products that we don’t think minors should have access to.”
Another proposal for lawmakers to consider is cracking down on online sales. Right now under Virginia law, the person selling the product only has to verify your age if it’s a smokable product.
“We propose that that change that the same verification procedures be extended to all consumable hemp products,” Preiss said.
“As the legalization changes and more of these products become legitimate in terms of the legal standpoint, then we are going to see more exposures,” Rose said.
Both the Cannabis Control Authority and Poison Control say education is one way to bring these numbers down and keep them down.
They hope parents understand how toxic these products can be especially to young kids.
“As long as there’s desire for these products, there will be a market for them,” Rose said.
Rose also encourages parents not to treat medicine like candy when giving it to kids. He said this can be incredibly harmful to them.
“For decades, one of the poison prevention tools was to tell parents never to treat medicine like candy to take it,” Rose said. “You say, ‘here’s some candy, take it,’ and the child then sees that bottle of medicine and when you’re not around, they think it’s candy and OK to eat.”
Now, it’s important to note that the Cannabis Control Authority doesn’t make laws It just makes recommendations to the General Assembly.
The General Assembly convened in Richmond Jan. 10.