Cannabis-related poison control calls about kids doubled following legalization of medical marijuana in Massachusetts, according to research published Friday.
In the four years before medical marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts in 2012 there were roughly 29 calls annually to a regional poison control center about children ingesting cannabis. It jumped to 69 calls annually in the four years after.
UMass Amherst professor Jennifer Whitehill, who authored the study, said the incidence is relatively low and the cases likely preventable.
"While I always like to think about the policies that could prevent these things, this may also be a case where parents just need to pay a little bit more attention," said Whitehill.
Massachusetts requires child-proof packaging and warning labels on marijuana products.
