Doctors are sounding the alarm as hospitals see a dramatic rise in cannabis-related poisonings among children.
Many of the most severe cases involve edible products packaged as candy, a factor experts say is fueling accidental overdoses.
Physicians on the front lines describe the troubling reality of what happens when children ingest cannabis.
“I definitely have seen floridly psychotic 2-year-olds just waiting for the marijuana to leave their system because they got into someone’s gummies,” explained Dr. Shamieka Virella Dixon, a pediatrician at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Her account reflects a pattern of incidents linked directly to edible products.
Dr. Stephen Sandelich, a pediatric emergency physician and assistant professor at Penn State, shared similar concerns. “We’re seeing a lot of accidental overdoses just because of the packaging,” he told The New York Times.
Sandelich has personally intubated several children after cannabis ingestion, underscoring the dangers that can result when products designed for adults are left within reach of children.
Data from America’s Poison Centers confirms that cannabis poisonings in children have grown rapidly over the past decade. In 2009, there were about 930 reported cases. By 2024, that number had climbed to more than 22,000. The report also revealed that more than 75 percent of poisonings last year involved children or teenagers.
The vast majority of overdoses are not considered life-threatening, yet the number of severe cases has also grown. In 2009, only 10 cases were classified as serious. In 2024, poison centers documented 620 severe cases, 100 of which required ventilators. Most of those cases involved children struggling with breathing problems and other dangerous complications.
Despite these alarming statistics, experts believe the numbers are likely higher than reported. Hospitals are not required by law to submit data to poison centers, leaving many cases unaccounted for.
With legalization and commercialization expanding access to edibles, physicians caution that the risk to children will remain significant unless packaging and storage practices change.
