LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It’s a scenario playing out in schools more often these days – kids bringing medicated gummies to school and giving them to their classmates.
“It's just more readily available, I think it's as simple as that,” said Dr. George Bosse, assistant medical director at the Kentucky Poison Center.
As more kids get their hands on cannabinoids, concern is growing.
“Someone, especially a young kid smaller in size and weight, could come into serious problems with some of the THC-containing products like gummies,” said Bosse.
Experts at the Kentucky Poison Control Center of Norton Children’s Hospital found that in 2014, a majority of cannabinoid-related calls to the poison center were for adults. Now, more than 60% of the calls are for kids.
With colorful packaging and candy-like appearance, it’s not hard to see why products are appealing to kids.
“They don't just look like candy; they taste like candy,” said Maria Chapman, the Poison Center's program coordinator for poison prevention.
Last month, police reported a small group of elementary students in Nicholasville accidentally ate CBD gummies after one student brought a container from home, thinking it was candy.
Last week in Lexington, an email sent to Morton Middle School parents was shared with LEX 18.
In it, the principal explained that four students ingested a gummy believed to contain an illegal or unidentified substance.
The principal said the FCPS police department is investigating, and urged parents to talk to their kids about the seriousness of sharing and ingesting unknown substances.
“When we talk about prevention, if we're talking about little kids, the biggest thing is treating any of these things, whether it's THC, melatonin, or vitamins, if it's a gummy format, just treat it like you would any other medication,” said Chapman. “Our recommendation is alway keep it in original packaging and out of reach of kids.”
When it comes to older kids, poison control experts say they wouldn’t even share Ibuprofen.
“If they're taking any sort of medication, we want it to be a medication that their parents have approved and know they can take with other medication they might take,” said Chapman.
Above all, they urge parents to have conversations early and often about the threat of unknown substances and the responsibility to keep them away from school.
You can find resources on poison control here: https://kypoisoncontrol.com/
