LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) – Allen County Children Services is seeing what they hope does not become a growing trend: pediatric edible cannabis exposures and acute toxicity.

The issue is part of a nationwide increase as more states legalize recreational marijuana. Statistics from the National Poison Data System show a sharp rise in young children ingesting cannabis edibles. In 2017, there were 207 reported cases of children under 6 consuming edibles; by 2021, that number had surged to more than 3,000 cases.

Allen County Children Services has been notified of several cases in which children have been hospitalized after consuming marijuana products.

“We’re typically getting reports from mandated reporters that they’re responding to children being brought into the emergency room or another medical facility due to ingesting marijuana,” said Sarah Newland, executive director of Allen County Children Services. “And we’re talking about young children. We’re talking about toddlers who are putting everything in their mouths, and one of those things has been marijuana.”

With Ohio recently legalizing recreational marijuana, there are currently no specific legal guidelines for reporting cases of child ingestion. Many agencies are looking to states such as Colorado, which have dealt with similar incidents, to determine best practices for handling these cases.

Newland urges parents and caregivers to keep all forms of marijuana and other drugs out of the reach of children and stored in a secure location to prevent accidental ingestion.