SYRACUSE, N.Y. — As Halloween approaches, experts are raising concerns about the increasing number of young children accidentally consuming cannabis-infused edibles, which are often packaged to resemble regular sweets.

Health officials report a rise in such incidents, not due to trick-or-treating, but because these products are already present in homes and may be improperly stored.

Lyla Hunt, Deputy Director of Public Health & Education at the Office of Cannabis Management, highlighted the issue.

“Some cannabis products can look like other food products. Edibles can look like gummies and especially from the illicit market sometimes what we see is cannabis product packaging that even mimics some commonly marketed food products that kids are used to,” said Hunt.

The symptoms of accidental consumption can be severe and, in some cases, deadly. Willie Eggleston, assistant clinical director at the Upstate New York Poison Center, explained how this could be problematic.

“Even one or two is enough to cause some really impressive sedation where they get really sleepy, they are hard to wake up,” explained Eggleston. “Three or four now we are talking they may have a seizure and then three or six now we are worried about things such as slowed breathing rate and in the ICU on a breathing machine.”

Since the legalization of adult-use cannabis in New York in 2021, the number of cases has spiked dramatically.

Eggleston noted, “As recent as five to 10 years ago we might see 30 to 40 cases a year of kids getting into edibles and this year and last year we’ve seen between 300 to 400 cases a year so we did see a dramatic spike in those cases.”

To prevent such incidents, health experts urge parents to take extra precautions in storing cannabis edibles.

“There are all sorts of products that are out there to help parents store those products safely including locked bags, locked boxes, smell-proof containers… a lockable drawer, a filing cabinet something that is locked will just be a great way to make sure those products are harder to reach,” said Hunt.

The bottom line is that if these products are in your home, it is crucial to ensure they are properly stored and out of sight to keep children safe, happy and healthy.