Pot-Related Poison Control Calls Up In Washington, Colorado

[bobandtorey]

Marijuana-related calls to poison control centers in Washington and Colorado have spiked since the states began allowing legal sales last year, with an especially troubling increase in calls concerning young children.

But it's not clear how much of the increase might be related to more people using marijuana, as opposed to people feeling more comfortable to report their problems now that the drug is legal for adults over 21.

New year-end data being presented to Colorado's Legislature next week show that the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center received 151 calls for marijuana exposure last year, the first year of retail recreational pot sales. That was up from 88 calls in 2013 and 61 in 2012, the year voters legalized pot.

Calls to the Washington Poison Center for marijuana exposures jumped by more than half, from 158 in 2013 to 246 last year.

Public health experts say they are especially concerned about children accidentally eating marijuana edibles. Calls involving children nearly doubled in both states: to 48 in Washington involving children 12 or under, and to 45 in Colorado involving children 8 or under.

"There's a bit of a relaxed attitude that this is safe because it's a natural plant, or derived from a natural plant," Dr. Alex Garrard, clinical managing director of the Washington Poison Center. "But this is still a drug. You wouldn't leave Oxycontin lying around on a countertop with kids around, or at least you shouldn't."

Around half of Washington's calls last year resulted in hospital visits, with most of the patients being evaluated and released from an emergency room, Garrard said. Ten people were admitted to intensive care units — half of them under 20 years old.

Children who wind up going to the hospital for marijuana exposure can find themselves subject to blood tests or spinal taps, Garrard said, because if they seem lethargic and parents don't realize they got into marijuana, doctors might first check for meningitis or other serious conditions.

Pot-related calls to Washington's poison center began rising steadily several years ago as medical marijuana dispensaries started proliferating in the state. In 2006, there were just 47 calls. That rose to 150 in 2010 and 162 before actually dropping by a few calls in 2013, a year in which adults could use marijuana but before legal recreational sales had started.

Calls about exposure to marijuana combined with other drugs spiked in Colorado, too. There were 70 such calls last year, up from 39 calls in 2013 and 49 calls in 2012.

Both states saw increases in calls across all age groups. Colorado's biggest increase was among adults over 25 — from 40 in 2013 to 102 calls last year. Washington had a big jump in calls concerning teens, from 40 in 2013 to 61 last year.

Many of the products involved in Washington's exposure cases are found at the state's unregulated medical marijuana dispensaries, but not licensed recreational shops, which are barred from selling marijuana gummy bears or other items that might appeal to children, Garrard said.

The Washington Legislature is working now on proposals for reining in the medical marijuana industry — and limiting what they can sell. Both states have taken steps to try to keep marijuana products away from children, such as requiring child-resistant packaging in licensed stores.

In Denver, authorities charged a couple with child abuse last month, saying their 3-year-old daughter tested positive for marijuana. The couple brought the girl to a hospital after she became sick.

Ben Reagan, a medical marijuana advocate with The Center for Palliative Care in Seattle, said at a recent conference that he had long dealt with parents whose children accidentally got into marijuana. It used to be less likely that they would call an official entity for help, he said.

"Those things have been occurring this whole time," Reagan said. "What you now have is an atmosphere where people are much more comfortable going to the emergency room."

"Before, you'd just look at your buddy and say, 'Sorry, dude. You're going to have to deal with it all night,' " he added. "'We're not calling nobody.'"

 

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/01/23/pot-related-poison-control-calls-up-in-washington-colorado/

[trichcycler]

gummy bears you say?  

[Chauncy Gardner]

If this was a fair and balanced report it would compare marijuana related poison control center calls with calls for other "poisons" like f'rinstance :  aspirin, alcohol, wild vegetation, tobacco, under sink cleaning products, etc.

 

Without something to compare it to, marijuana "poisoning" reports might seem like something that is of great concern when in actuality it may be less than a blip on the radar.

[Highlander]

Remember Mr. Yuck stickers in the 70s in the TV commercials? "Mr. Yuck is green; Mr. Yuck is mean."

 

The idea was that you'd put Mr. Yuck stickers on harmful products around your home and teach kids to keep away. Simple solution that applies to household cleaners, gasoline, antifreeze, MMJ, other meds, etc. all over the USA.

 

How about people practice good old fashioned parenting? It's pretty easy to slap stickers on harmful products and teach kids to avoid them. End of problem.

 

I think there is some problem with kids getting hold of MMJ edibles. So tackle the problem at the source and teach kids to avoid medicine, cleaners, paint, gasoline, brake fluid (particularly harmful),aspirin, narcs, and more. Oh. And alcohol too.

 

Speaking of alcohol, I have a couple of teenagers and we had a pretty solid discussion about alcohol a few times ... Mostly that they are not allowed to drink, but if they slip-up they darn well better call me. That's why I pay $225/month for them to have phones. I also sat them down and showed them a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and told them that if they are ever encouraged to drink it or if any of their friends want to drink it, they need to step-up and prevent it.

 

This kinda reminds me of an episode of "the Cosby Show." I realize that Bill Cosby might not be the best role model anymore, but, still, a lot of the values he taught still apply. In this episode, his son had a joint or two in his notebook. Cliff Huxtable sat down with his son "Theo" and said (kinda quoted, but based on memory from 20+ years ago). "As long as you live in this house, you are not to do drugs." "When you grow up and get a job and move out of this house...." (Long pause). "You are not to do drugs."

 

Granted, this story ends up being kinda anti-MJ if you take the Cosby/Huxtable view. But the overall point is that parents need to be good teachers and stewards of their kids.

 

And it is pretty easy to put "Mr. Yuck" stickers on stuff.

[Wild Bill]

Responsible parenting. Punish the negligent parents, don't "reign in" the medicine.

[bobandtorey]

In the last few years, more and more states allow marijuana for both medical and recreational use.  According to a review article from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) January 20, 2015; Colorado’s medical communities have experienced  “unexpected health effects” from the widespread use of THC.

 

With increased availability of legal marijuana, the Colorado health system has experienced an increased number of severe burns. One Colorado hospital has seen a rise in marijuana-related burns with some cases involving more than 70% of the body surface area. Most burn injuries occurred due to butane which is a  highly inflammable chemical used during extraction of marijuana’s active ingredient: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from marijuana plants.

 

Hospitals have also seen increased numbers of emergency room visits due to   THC-related vomiting. At high concentrations and in people with THC-sensitivity, THC may cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting and profuse sweating; a condition known as cyclic vomiting syndrome.

 

Most concerning was the THC health effects among Colorado’s children.  Numbers of children brought to the emergency room for unintentional marijuana ingestion are on the rise.  For example: In this past year, of 14 children admitted to one Colorado community hospital this year for ingestion of edible marijuana products, 7 were placed in intensive care.  For the 5 years preceding marijuana legalization, this community hospital had 0 similar admissions. These marijuana-related medical complications are new to most Colorado health communities.

 

In many states, marijuana has been legalized for medical purposes. My husband was surprised to learn that marijuana may offer significant medical benefits for some patients. Marijuana’s active ingredient, THC, has proven anti-inflammatory effectsfor people with significant bowel diseases and may reduce the incidence of seizures in others.  Marijuana is known to benefit people with chronic pain and under controlled prescribing and specific dosing schedules, may be safer than opiods for chronic pain management.  Notably, states with legalization of marijuana have up to 25% feweropiod-related deaths.

 

In the past, I have prescribed oral Marinol (marijuana) to AIDS or cancer patients in order to decrease nausea or improve appetite; however, like most physicians, I lack prescribing privileges to provide marijuana for pain.   I have known several patients to augment pain medications with marijuana for improved symptom relief. This practice, of course, is against medical advice and is highly illegal.  In chronic opiod users, THC is easily detected in routine urine drug screens and its detection may discourage prescribing physicians to continue opiod management.  Many physicians concerns revolve around side effects of concomitant marijuana use with prescribed pain medications including heart-related complications.  In addition, many chronic painpatients suffer depression and THC is associated with worsening anxiety, depression and other underlying psychiatric disorders.

 

We have a lot to learn from Colorado’s legalization of marijuana. As a physician, I have many concerns with uncontrolled “over the counter” marijuana use. Sure, it is “natural”, but so is tobacco; “natural” does not mean that it is necessarily good.  Perhaps in the future, under controlled circumstances, THC could be made carefully manufactured and made more easily prescribed under Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) close monitoring of concentration and dosing.

Truly, marijuana legalization is a highly controversial subject in many social arenas. If so many people use marijuana to manage pain, then the medical community needs to do a better job of finding treatment solutions. For now, I will remain a passive observer with an open eye of interest looking over the horizon.

 

http://healthblog.dallasnews.com/2015/01/marijuana-legalization-unanticipated-effects-on-the-medical-community.html/