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One local hospital says they're now treating at least a couple of young children every month for toxic exposure to edibles — and they're warning parents to lock up their pot treats

A skyrocketing number of children in the tri-state are inadvertently ingesting marijuana edibles, and legislators say there's a void in New York's emerging pot regulations that isn't helping the situation.

The scary trend began before New York State legalized recreational marijuana back in March, going from six children in the NYC metropolitan area poisoned by edibles in 2018, to 32 in 2019 and 127 in 2020, according to regional poison control officials.

"Sometimes that's in the form of candies and gummies, cookies and brownies. There are lots of forms that are out there," said Dr. Ethan Wiener, director of pediatric emergency medicine at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone.

Two-thirds of those children are under the age of 5 — and the numbers are on track to be just as high this year.

It’s possible for a weed-consuming population to use marijuana without needing emergency medical assistance. Here’s how.

It seems that every time a state officially launches its legal cannabis market, reports showing that emergency rooms are filling up with people who can’t handle their weed start to bombard the internet. This took place earlier this year throughout Illinois, which rolled out its taxed and regulated pot trade in January. In Chicago, doctors claimed an increase in ER visits due to people overdosing on weed.

Listen, this madness might be happening, or it might not. The purpose of this article is not to debate whether legal marijuana brings about an uprising in freakouts that send people on a mad dash for the hospital. It is to serve as a guide, of sorts, intended to prevent these horrific events from happening in the first place. Because, get this, it is possible for a weed-consuming population to use marijuana without needing emergency medical assistance. It’s a novel concept, we know. But we swear that people can use cannabis products safely and responsibly.

Here’s how.

Photo by Nicole De Khors via Burst

The first thing to consider is this: Any report that comes out in the media suggesting that people are running to the ER because the weed got on top of them can almost always be attributed to edibles. We’re not going to lie, these popular pot products sold in dispensaries in states where marijuana is legal can be tricky and the source of great misery if they are not consumed correctly.

PHOENIX  --  The Clarendon Hotel and Spa in downtown Phoenix is open for business. Hotel managers say it is "Arizona's first Cannabis-friendly hotel."

“We are a cannabis-friendly hotel and have a cannabis-friendly event company that is elevating and educating the community about cannabis,” says Daron Brotherton, the VP of Operations at the hotel.

The cannabis sleeping rooms are located on the west side of the hotel property where guests can partake in edibles, flower and vape which have been purchased at a local dispensary. Cannabis flower usage is allowed in designated areas only. To shop for cannabis, the hotel will offer a car service to drive guests to a dispensary where they can also rent pipes and bongs.

It’s happened to the best of us. It’s late at night and we’ve totally underestimated the amount of marijuana at our disposal. We aren’t in a position to buy more at the moment. We look through our ashtray and our weed baggie and there’s nothing useful in sight. Then we spot the stems. Should we smoke them? Can we smoke them?

Sadly, it appears that weed stems are different from the usual bud you smoke. For starters, they don’t contain much THC, rendering them useless if you’re looking to get high. They also taste bad and woody, because there’s no plant in them, and they’re associated with a batch of negative side effects like headaches, sore throats and coughing fits, according to Healthline.

Still, just because you can’t smoke cannabis stems doesn’t mean you can’t find something useful to do with them. A lot of people find inventive ways of incorporating these parts of cannabis, using them to brew teas, to make tinctures, topicals and to even make stem butter. While there’s not much THC in stems, they are still a part of the cannabis plant, having many of the mysterious health benefits that experts and cannabis users love.

Before re-purposing your stems for any reason, it’s important to decarboxylate them, activating however small amount there is of THC and other cannabinoids. Once you’re done with this part of the process, you can infuse the stems into whatever you want.

Cannabis stems aren’t likely to get you high, but they could provide therapeutic and relaxing effects for you. There’s anecdotal evidence of cannabis stem teas treating nausea, anxiety, chronic pain, and more, all the while eliminating the unpredictable psychoactive effects of cannabis drinks. We even have a recipe for it.

Report from Brightfield Group details most popular CBD sweet edibles as well as consumers’ need to either take the edge off or charge through their day.

Market research firm Brightfield Group’s U.S. Cannabis Distribution Report: Cannabis Candy report revealed that, while cannabis candies are not to be consumed like candy, the industries share some similarities. Flavor innovation is thriving in both as well as the desire for both to either take a break or recharge with something sweet.

Of Brightfield’s list of top eight cannabis candies by share of shelf feature, three edibles are made by Smokiez in the flavors blackberry, sour blue raspberry and sour watermelon. Wana Wellness’ assorted hybrid sour gummies make the list, as are Kiva Confections wild berry Camino gummies, Kushy Punch hybrid raspberry gummies and Kanha blue raspberry gummies. Wyld CBD’s pomegranate 1:1 THC:CBD gummies also made the list.

Brightfield narrows cannabis candy positioning down to two types. Products that help folks unwind, according to Brightfield, are the most common – helping consumers with relaxation, sleep and stress relief, and claiming 68% of retail display space.

Of these, relaxation rules the roost, controlling nearly half of all cannabis candy space with a whopping 40% shelf share. Sleep is next at 19%.

With the growing acceptance of the legal cannabis industry across the United States, more states are diving deeper into regulatory questions. The latest push around legislatures has been THC Caps, which would limit the potency of THC in various products depending on the state's guidelines.

Lawmakers believe that limiting the strength of marijuana will be in the interest of public safety, which seems like a commonsense argument. However, when one looks at how manipulating the potency of THC would impact our bodies and society, it's clear that they are not the answer to responsible legislating of the cannabis industry.

At the Blinc Group, we wrote a white paper, "Six Reasons that THC Caps Are a Bad Idea," examining the implications of THC Caps on the vaping industry. It demonstrates, backed by existing research that THC Caps will endanger the public, lead to dangerous products entering the market, and keep necessary medicines out of patients' hands.

It also would require manufacturers to dilute their concentrates with additives to meet the lower standards. While regulations are up in the air from state to state, the unsafe additives will pose a greater health risk to consumers, possibly resulting in an uptick in EVALI cases.

The Colorado Cannabis Manufacturers Association (CCMA) agrees that THC Caps are not in the industry or consumers' best interests.

Sha’Carri Richardson’s disqualification provides an excellent opportunity for sports organizations to evaluate their marijuana policies.

On June 28, U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was suspended for one month by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for using cannabis, effectively disqualifying her from competing in the Olympics. The suspension of a gold medal contending athlete caught many by surprise and sparked a worldwide debate about marijuana use by athletes should be addressed. Many in the sports world quickly rushed to her defense, including Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, who called the suspension “ridiculous.”

WADA has three criteria for a drug to qualify for its prohibited substances list: (1) it represents an actual or potential health risk to the athlete; (2) it has the potential to enhance or enhances sport performance; and (3) it violates the spirit of sport.

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

According to a 2011 paper written by WADA scientists, marijuana satisfies all three of the criteria. First, “athletes who smoke cannabis or Spice in-competition potentially endanger themselves and others because of increased risk taking, slower reaction times and poor executive function or decision making.” Second, “based on current animal and human studies as well as on interviews with athletes and information from the field, cannabis can be performance enhancing for some athletes and sports disciplines.” Third, “use of illicit drugs that are harmful to health and that may have performance-enhancing properties is not consistent with the athlete as a role model for young people around the world.”

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented and worrisome impact on all businesses and sectors across the world. The cannabis and liquor businesses were not spared, and it is expected to think about the state of these businesses post-COVID-19. 

Interestingly, one of the focal points to consider is the priority people will place on both substances. Will cannabis be more prominent in use than liquor, or will it be vice versa? How will cannabis businesses fare over the liquor business? Let’s find out!

The California factor

One week after the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, the state of California announced a statewide business lockdown. The state of Illinois also followed through with the same directive after California. 

Both states designated marijuana businesses and operators as “Essential services” with supermarkets, pharmacies, and liquor stores. These businesses were allowed to be opened while other businesses shut down. 

Other states quickly followed the California and Illinois lead by declaring marijuana operates as an important business. This move enabled a rush for such essential designations in the early weeks of the pandemic. This rush for marijuana was a progressive moment in the marijuana industry which also led to the creation of new legal state marijuana markets. 

Though public opinion has increasingly favored decriminalization of marijuana use in the last two decades, the process has been complicated by the public’s differing opinions on how marijuana should be decriminalized and for what reasons. While on a national level, marijuana distribution for any use is illegal under the Controlled Substances Act, 36 U.S. states have passed measures allowing for medicinal use, while 18 states have permitted recreational use as of June 22. A 2018 poll found that 56% of adults surveyed favored the state regulation of marijuana over federal regulation, highlighting that some wish for states to be given autonomy over decisions regarding decriminalization.

However, every state that decriminalizes marijuana for any reason sustains an “uneasy relationship” with the federal government. The federal government is unable and partly unwilling to enforce marijuana criminalization in all 36 states in which it is legal, but businesses wishing to sell marijuana encounter problems with federal tax laws, banking, and the threat of arrest if the federal government decides to crackdown. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recently criticized the federal government’s approach to marijuana, saying it “simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana” after a Colorado business appealed a ruling prohibiting the business from deducting business expenses from its federal taxes.

With public opinion in support of decriminalization, the complexity of the federal government’s relationship with marijuana may be too difficult to preserve. On June 14, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act that would legalize marijuana nationally, but passage faces challenges in both parties along with President Biden more supportive of decriminalization than legalization.

Public opinion research increasingly finds support for legalization in some form, with a 2021 Pew Research Center survey finding that 90% of Americans believe marijuana should be legalized for medical use, and 60% favored legalization for both recreational and medical use. In contrast, only 12% supported legalization in 1969 and 31% in 1999. Medical use remains the primary reason listed for legalization according to a 2019 Gallup poll and this focus may explain the challenges to full decriminalization. Likewise, a 2018 study suggests the media focus on medical use may explain why around 30% of Americans surveyed support legalization for medicinal but not recreational use. Meanwhile, few studies directly ask whether legalization should be left up to the states.

To assess public opinion of decriminalizing marijuana, we conducted a national online survey of 625 Americans, using quota sampling and administered through Qualtrics on June 22-24. Participants were asked “Which of the following best matches your opinion regarding marijuana?” and could choose one of four answers:

With the touch of a button, CBD buyers in the Miami suburb of Doral, Florida can now have their hemp-based products automatically dispensed into their hands.

The Wellness Pantry, developed by cannabis tech firm Cultiva, allows people who download a free app from the company on their mobile phones to buy CBD remotely and pick up the products from a machine similar to one that sells soda and chips.

How it works

The machine features remote monitoring and operation, touchless payments and the use of blockchain technology to verify customers’ age, according to the Cultiva’s CEO. Unlike marijuana vending machines, which state laws restrict to operating solely inside dispensaries, CBD machines like the Wellness Pantry can operate from just about anywhere – including inside non-cannabis businesses and even housing complexes.

“We’re giving whole communities access to quality products in a fun, interactive, safe and simple experience,” said Cultiva founder and CEO Daniel Torres.

The first Wellness Pantry was became operational this weekend inside a condominium complex owned by NFC Amenity Management, one of the largest amenity management companies in the country.

Since the first legal cannabis market came to be, we’ve had a bit of a chicken or egg conundrum… you can buy weed legally, but might not have anywhere to consume it legally. Most states have laws against public cannabis consumption, so you can only smoke on private property. If you live in said state, that’s no problem. But say you’re visiting Vegas, for example, and you hit up Planet 13, the largest dispensary in the world that’s right off the strip and geared towards drawing in tourists… you do some shopping only to realize that the hotel or Airbnb you’re staying at has a ban against cannabis use.

You can’t smoke in public on the strip, and even though they have just been approved, no legal consumption lounges are open in the state yet. What’s a law-abiding stoner to do in that situation?

One way savvy cannabusiness owners have been skirting the regulatory insanity that goes along with opening a consumption lounge, is by launching cannabis-friendly campgrounds. It makes sense if you think about it. It falls under private property laws and weed typically makes for a nice addition to any outdoor adventure, but if cannabis-use is permitted can the land be legally registered as a public campground? That is where the law gets a bit confusing, so let’s take a closer look.

It’ summertime, post-shutdown, and people are going outside more than ever before. Cannabis products can really take your adventure to a whole new level, but figuring out what to bring can be a challenge.. 

Smoking in nature

Edibles are fine, and even vaping can be pretty discreet, but what about the old fashioned among us who still enjoy smoking flower and who definitely love to light up a nice joint or bowl when camping, hiking, or otherwise connecting with nature. It’s fun, it’s relaxing, and it feels like a rite of passage; but is it legal?

City leaders in Amsterdam are considering ways to reinvent travel to the Dutch capital as pandemic restrictions ease, with plans to emphasize the city’s cultural amenities while playing down its reputation for partying, sex, and cannabis tourism. Dutch officials began easing restrictions in April, leading to a gradual return of the tourists who were responsible for approximately 10 percent of the Amsterdam economy before the coronavirus outbreak.

Officials in Amsterdam temporarily shut down the city’s famed “coffee shops” that sell marijuana in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across Europe, allowing them to reopen to provide take-out service only as lockdowns continued. Travel restrictions caused tourism in the city, much of which is centered on Amsterdam’s bars, coffee shops, and famous Red Light District, to plummet.

But as tourism begins to revive, city leaders would like to welcome more visitors interested in Amsterdam’s art museums, history, and other cultural attractions while discouraging hard-partying tourists who negatively impact the quality of life for residents. Unlike many other popular tourist destinations, tourism is only part of the city’s economy. Ninety percent of Amsterdam’s economy is derived from industries other than tourism, giving the city options to plan for the sector’s resurgence.

“Amsterdam is in a lucky position where it could really use the pandemic to try some new things,” said, adding, “This is the time to experiment.”

Last month, Amsterdam’s City Hall launched a publicity campaign with a price tag of €100,000 (about $118,000) to encourage visitors interested in the city’s food, art, and nature instead of those looking for sex, alcohol, and cannabis.

In this century, there are so many ways you can consume CBD and CBD Hemp. CBD can address anxiety, insomnia and aid in different types of chronic pain. Due to its benefits, people have looked for different ways to consume CBD, and chocolate is one.

Today, we will talk about everything you need to know about CBD hemp chocolate so you can feel comfortable. Then, if you are looking to purchase some, you can visit Dr. Watson to find the product for you!

Common questions about CBD Hemp Chocolate

Every chocolate product is sold differently, so keep an eye out when purchasing. You can find different flavors with different dosages of CBD Hemp. We will discuss some of the common questions about Hemp CBD in chocolate to help you decide on your purchase.

What is CBD Hemp?

CBD stands for cannabidiol. It is the second active ingredient of cannabis (marijuana). CBD comes from the hemp plant, which is considered a cousin to the marijuana plant.

Hemp CBD contains the same benefits as CBD, except – Hemp CBD contains less THC and more CBD.

There are hundreds of cannabis dispensaries nowadays. Some are running online stores while some operate brick and mortar stores. It is important to know what to look for when you want to choose a cannabis dispensary. It doesn’t matter whether it is for recreational or medical use, the factors to be considered are still the same. In Canada, online dispensaries are taking over the trade. Find the best weed delivery Toronto, after considering the tips below.

Location

This is very important when choosing a cannabis dispensary. A cannabis dispensary is not different from a fast-food café or casual restaurant. Keep in mind that the location of the is going to have a big impact on convenience. Parking, proximity, and convenience are very important when it comes to choosing a cannabis dispensary.

Cannabis consumers tend to visit more than one dispensary. For example, you might need one close to your office and one close to your home. Keep in mind that cannabis dispensaries are not allowed to be located near educational institutions.

Cannabis Quality

More study is needed, but a new U.S. review indicates topical capsaicin helped to provide relief for individuals with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) who visited both paediatric and adult emergency departments (EDs).

Characterized by recurrent nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain, CHS symptoms “are frequently unresponsive to standard antiemetic therapy,” notes the study published online in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Research published in 2017 agreed topical capsaicin — a chemical compound first isolated from chili peppers — “was associated with improvement in symptoms of CHS after other treatments failed.” Although research involved only 13 patients, all “experienced symptom relief.”

In the latest study, U.S. researchers found that “significantly more patients in the capsaicin group experienced efficacy” compared to patients who were not administered the treatment.

Of the 201 patients with suspected or confirmed CHS, applying the topical to the abdomen resulted in shorter periods between the treatment and discharge from the emergency department (ED) than for those who didn’t receive the treatment.

The cannabis seen in stores today isn’t like what the hippies rolled in the 1970s. Anyone who follows cannabis news has likely heard a public health official express some version of that sentiment.

In 2019, then U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams claimed that today’s cannabis “ain’t your mother’s marijuana,” but was, in fact, three times stronger than weed in the 1990s.

Weed advocate and Canadian author Dana Larsen has actually calculated how strong today’s cannabis would be if similar lawmaker sentiments throughout history were accepted. That includes claims by 2002 White House Drug Czar John Walters, who said cannabis at the time was 30 times stronger than what baby boomers smoked.

President Joe Biden, for his part, once argued that comparing 1990s weed to cannabis in the 1960s was like “comparing buckshot in a shotgun shell to a laser-guided missile.”

Using all of these historical statements would mean that today’s cannabis is 12,600 times stronger than it was in the 1960s, according to Larsen’s calculations. And while that is highly unlikely, how and why cannabis potency has changed in the past decade or so should not be discounted.

Historical data shows cannabis sales typically spike the weekend before the Fourth of July and Friday, July 2nd is expected to retail nearly $91,000,0000 — up 60% from an average Friday.

Cannabis software and intelligence company Akerna (NASDAQ: KERN) released a new flash report this morning, predicting the 4th of July, 2021 will bring in over $206,000,000 in legal cannabis sales across the United States.

With Connecticut being the most recent state to legalize, 38 states now have legislation permitting an adult-consumption and/or medical cannabis program. Not everyone has dispensaries up and running yet, so this data doesn’t reflect sales in all 38 legal states.

Photo by Paul Weaver via Unsplash

2021 Fourth of July Sales Predictions

According to the flash report, historical data shows cannabis sales typically spike the weekend before the Fourth of July and Friday, July 2nd is expected to retail nearly $91,000,0000 — up 60% from an average Friday. The report predicts July 2nd to be the second highest sales day of the year, just after 4/20. Saturday, July 3rd, is forecasted to generate $72,000,000 in cannabis sales, with Sunday, July 4th, expecting to see $43,000,0000. Sundays are typically the lowest sales day of the week when you look at historical data, but dispensaries will still see more sales than normal because it’s a holiday.

“It doesn’t have to start with ‘don’t smoke,’ but rather the fundamentals of what cannabis is, as a plant within a legal framework.”

As more and more states barrel through cannabis legalization (18 states are recreational, 36 have medical programs), it’s become easier for adults, namely parents, to open up about their use. There’s now even a brand called Dad Grass.

A quick Google search for Father’s Day shows an increasing number of recommendation lists that include cannabis products for dads, but not how to bridge that conversation with their kids. Studies indicate more and more parents are using cannabis and working in the medical and/or recreational industry, and the conversation around cannabis in the home is changing.

Photo by Hero Images/Getty Images

Don’t Deny It

Roger Bloss, interim CEO of MJ Holdings, started using medical marijuana after a car accident left him with chronic pain back in 2009. When he decided to tell his children, they were around 10 and 13-years-old. In his words, he just came out and said it, emphasizing that it was medicine that helped him not only work, but remain a present, doting father.