Oct 11, 2015

Dangers Of Edible Marijuana Highlighted In CDC Report

Drawing attention to a dark consequence of the marijuana legalization movement, an article in a prominent medical journal Thursday examined the suicide of a man who consumed six times the recommended quantity of a cannabis cookie.

The article published Thursday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focused on the death of a 19-year-old Wyoming man on a visit to Colorado last year, months after the state legalized recreational marijuana use. Since then, however, two other people have died in Colorado after overdosing on edibles and experiencing psychiatric episodes. One man shot himself in the head, and another man killed his wife in a fit of rage.

The article's authors suggest as other states have legalized recreational marijuana use, they should move to regulate the growing market, as Colorado has since done, before more people get hurt from consuming too much tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical responsible for most of marijuana's psychological effects.

"Other states permitting recreational marijuana use could potentially reduce adverse health effects by considering similar THC limits in marijuana edible products, and by enforcing clear labeling standards that require information on multi-dose products," according to the article by officials from the CDC, the Denver health department and the Denver Medical Examiner's office.

In New Jersey, where marijuana is legal for only medicinal purposes among screened patients who have one of the qualifying conditions, edible products are not available yet. Although the 2010 law permitted the manufacture of edible products, it was not specific on what they could be. Gov. Chris Christie's administration designed the program and barred edible cookies, sodas and other commercial products and permitted lozenges and lotions manufactured to look like a pharmaceutical product.

In 2013, Christie amended the law allowing a wider variety of medicinal-looking edible cannabis products but restricted their use to minors. And it wasn't until earlier this year the health department formally agree to consider applications from dispensaries to produce anything. Health officials pointed to accidents and overdoses in Colorado in the manufacturing and consumption of edible products as the reason why they have moved carefully to approve anything.

State health department officials did not respond to a request seeking comment.

People who smoke pot feel the affects fairly quickly, whereas it usually takes longer before consumers of the edible products to feel high, the article said. In the case of the Wyoming student, identified as Levy Thamba Pongi in press accounts, he ate the entire cookie, which contained six servings. "A police report indicated that initially (he) ate only a single piece of his cookie, as directed by the sales clerk," according to the article.

"Consuming a large dose of THC can result in a higher THC concentration, greater intoxication, and an increased risk for adverse psychological effects," the article said.
Colorado in February instituted new packaging and labeling rules, requiring that recreational edible marijuana products contain no more than 10 mg of THC, or have clear demarcation of each 10-mg serving, the aeticle said. State-certified labs also test for potency before the products are sold.

"Other states permitting recreational marijuana use could potentially reduce adverse health effects by considering similar THC limits in marijuana edible products, and by enforcing clear labeling standards that require information on multi-dose products," according to the article.

Roseanne Scotti, director of the Drug Policy Alliance in New Jersey, the lobbying group that helped pass the state's medical marijuana law, said the article highlights how Colorado has learned from tragic incidents.

"The Drug Policy Alliance supports sensible regulations that can reduce the likelihood of someone unknowingly ingesting too much marijuana. Such regulations include instituting labeling requirements and ensuring a standardized product. In a legal and regulated market, this is possible," Scotti said. "In a NJ.com illegal market, there are no such controls and safeguards. The dangers of an illegal market are one reason that more and more states are moving to legalize and regulate marijuana."

"This CDC article emphasizes that Colorado has continued to refine its regulations to increase safety — and this is indeed a model other states should follow."

Recreation marijuana is legal in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia. –NJ.com

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