Legalization Side Effect: Little Kids Ingesting Pot

Here's a consequence of the push for medical marijuana few thought about: More young kids are accidentally ingesting the stuff. A Colorado researcher determined that 14 children under the age of 12 were treated at one emergency room since 2009, when pot was legalized for medical use in the state, reports Reuters and ScienceAGogo (the latter with a "Honey, I baked the kids" headline). The number may not sound overwhelming, but consider that the total in the previous four years was ... zero.

Half the cases involved edible products, as in brownies, candy bars, or some other irresistible goodie with the marijuana baked right in. Eight of the kids were admitted to the hospital, and two ended up in the ICU. "The biggest thing we are concerned about is the level of sedation in these kids," says the Denver drug and poison researcher. "The things that we get scared of are, they get enough that they're so sleepy that it affects how they breathe, or they fall and hit their head." (More medical marijuana stories.)