Parents warned: Pot snacks and kids don't mix

A doctor is warning parents to be cautious with cannabis-infused products, after an eight-year-old girl was admitted to hospital after developing a serious adverse reaction to gummy candies containing an extract of the plant.

Wirasinee Ratanalert, a doctor at Thatpanom Crown Prince Hospital in Nakhon Phanom province, posted the warning on her Facebook page on Monday.

The girl, she said, was brought to the hospital by her mother after she complained about feeling drowsy and began vomiting.

Initially, doctors were baffled by her condition, but an interview with the girl’s parents revealed she had eaten a tub of gummies that had been given to her by a relative.

A urinalysis confirmed the girl had ingested cannabis, as traces of the plant’s psychoactive ingredients were found in her sample.

To prevent such incidents from happening again in the future, parents must be more aware of food and drinks containing cannabis extracts at home, especially in the presence of young children.

The post drew many comments, with some pointing out the notable lack of rules on product labelling and penalties against vendors who fail to warn their customers of the side effects of cannabis.

Cannabis-based food and drinks became widely available after the Public Health Ministry decided to delist the plant as a narcotic in June last year.

In the absence of a proper law, authorities have been issuing ad hoc regulations whenever problems emerge. MPs are still deliberating the cannabis and hemp bill but it appears very unlikely that it will pass before the House is dissolved prior to an election.