Mississippi Poison Control Reports Spike in Children Ingesting THC-Laced Edibles

Counterfeit brands of snacks laced with THC are shown. Courtesy of North Carolina Secretary of State's office

Mississippi Poison Control (MPC) has reported an increase in children’s emergency room visits and calls for ingesting marijuana-laced candies.

The calls involve children who have become ill from eating the chocolates and candies found around the home.

MPC, which is housed within the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), said the numbers could rise now that Mississippi has legalized the use of medical marijuana for patients who meet 22 debilitating medical conditions.

The state Legislature passed the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act in February 2022, which tasks the Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement Division that falls under the Mississippi Department of Revenue with licensing, regulating, and enforcing the law for medical marijuana dispensaries.

Recreational marijuana, however, remains illegal in the state.

According to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics, there has been a 1,375 percent increase in children’s consumption of marijuana edibles between 2017 and 2021.

“Although UMMC’s numbers are not as high in comparison, they have significantly jumped over the past few years,” Jenna Davis, managing director of the MPC, said in a press release.

The center received two calls for marijuana ingestion in 2019. However, by 2022, that number had spiked to 36, Davis said.

Fourteen of those calls were for children 12 years and younger, three calls were for teens aged 13 to 19, 11 calls were for ages 20 to 39, and six calls were for people aged 40 and older, Davis said.

In the 10 days leading up to the MPC news release, Davis said the agency had already received four calls for children under 6 years old.

“Statewide, these cases are underreported,” she said.

THC-infused snacks with counterfeit brand marketing were confiscated at gas stations, convenience stores, and vape shops. Courtesy of the N.C. Secretary of State's Office

New Threat

Many of the calls, Davis said, have been about children eating “Dope Rope” candies, which are designed to look like Nerds Rope candy, a licorice rope covered in clusters of the hard candy kernels. In the case of “Dope Rope,” the licorice is laced with THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol.

There has also been a growing number of children obtaining Delta 8, a legal variation of THC that is known to have the same euphoric high as marijuana, Davis said, and can be ordered online and found in convenience stores.

“It’s not regulated. It has very similar effects to the other components of marijuana that produce euphoria,” Davis said. “We receive tons of calls on this, and it’s increasing, for all ages.”

According to the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics 2022 Drug Threat Assessment (pdf), marijuana “continues to evolve” as a narcotic threat in Mississippi as “new products emerge from outside influences.”

“Products like edibles, oils, wax, and hashish are still being seen and seized across the state,” the report says. “These products are especially desirable among teens and younger adults.”

Though it’s hard to overdose on marijuana, Davis said large doses can impact the central nervous system and cause rapid heartbeat, vomiting, confusion, difficulty walking, drowsiness, respiratory distress, and seizures.

MPC employees recommend children who have ingested edibles be sent to the hospital for observation, Davis said.

She added that children who eat edibles don’t always exhibit immediate distress.

“Unlike when you smoke marijuana, when you eat a product that contains THC, it’s a couple of hours before it takes effect,” she said. “It may be a few hours before the parent notices that their child has ingested edibles.”

Parents who call report that they left the edibles out accidentally and are concerned about giving their information for fear of being arrested, Davis said.

“Their information is confidential,” she said. “We are here to help them and guide them. Most of them are very forthcoming, and we can get all the information we need to make a proper recommendation.”

Parents who have edibles need to treat them like medication, Davis said, and store them in a secure place out of reach of children.

“Most products have some type of warning label, but sometimes it’s very small,” she said. “Even an older child might not pay attention to it.”

Edibles Marketed to Children

There have been reports nationwide of THC-laced candy imitating brands such as Skittles and Cheetos causing overdoses in states where marijuana is illegal.

In North Carolina, the state secretary of state’s office, in collaboration with other departments, conducted a sweep in November 2022 that ended in the confiscation of nearly $224,000 worth of THC-infused snacks concealed as counterfeits of popular brand names marketed to children.

Products with THC derived from hemp plants are legal in North Carolina, provided the THC concentrations do not exceed 0.3 percent. As a result, North Carolina residents can legally purchase THC products from online retailers or local stores.

“A significant health concern behind this is that even though adults who are making these purchases know what they are buying, children could be attracted to the packaging, not knowing that the products contain THC,” a spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office said.