How Colorado plans to curb accidental pot consumption
Sweets-lovers in Colorado will no longer need to give their brownie a double take before consuming.
Beginning Saturday, all medical and retail marijuana products must feature a universal symbol.
A diamond shape featuring 鈥淭HC,鈥� the acronym for the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol, will now appear on both the packaging and the edible item itself. The phrase, 鈥淐ontains Marijuana. Keep out of reach of children,鈥� will also be clearly labeled below the symbol.
Along with the newly required symbol and warning, the words 鈥渃andy鈥� or 鈥渃andies鈥� are prohibited from appearing on packaging of marijuana-laced products. Each product must also include a potency statement as well as the appropriate serving size.
鈥淲ith the new universal symbol, people can more easily identify marijuana products, monitor their intake by serving size and avoid eating too much,鈥� Larry Wolk, executive director and chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said聽. 鈥淎nd by making marijuana labels less appealing to children, we hope to keep them from accidentally eating THC and suffering the consequences.鈥�
The number of incidents oaccidentalal marijuana consumption by children has . In 2009, before the drug was legalized, only nine calls were made to local poison control centers regarding accidental marijuana consumption. But by 2015, the number of these calls increased to 47.
鈥淔rom the beginning of recreational sales of marijuana in Colorado, stories started trickling in about both children and adults ending up in emergency rooms after eating treats laced with it,鈥� 海角大神鈥檚 Amanda Paulson reported last year. 鈥淭he popularity of 鈥榚dibles鈥� 鈥� the various candies, chocolates, and baked goods that contain cannabis 鈥� took many Coloradans by surprise. So did the problems that came with it.鈥澛�
In February 2015, the state health department recommended a ban on all edibles, but the idea faced harsh pushback from consumers and the industry, as edibles make up roughly . Instead, the health department issued a series of rules for the packaging and potency of edibles, which have been made stricter and more detailed yet again with the new regulations.
鈥淲e want to ensure that people genuinely know the difference between a Duncan Hines brownie and a marijuana brownie, just by looking at it,鈥� says state Rep. Jonathan Singer, a Democrat who sponsored the new law.
However, some dispensary and pot shop owners are miffed by the new regulations. During hearings before the regulation, some distributors compared the new regulations to requiring all alcohol makers to dye their products strange colors for precautionary measures.
鈥淪ome of the industry expectation was, 鈥楲et鈥檚 keep it on the parents and the users in keeping it away from children or people who shouldn鈥檛 use it,鈥� 鈥� says Andrew Schrot, owner of BlueKudu, a company that makes marijuana-infused chocolate. 鈥淏ut you know, sometimes mistakes happen. You turn your back and a product is left out.鈥�
Retailers have until Dec. 1 to phase out stock that does not include the new symbols.
This report contains material from the Associated Press.
