Marijuana Regulations Questioned As Number Of Exposed Children Rises

As marijuana becomes a legal drug in more and more US states, regulators are struggling to catch up with the growing number of issues that come with a new market. Political, social and health-related issues have all been in the spotlight when it comes to marijuana, but a new

by the Nationwide Children's Hospital proves that there is more to consider when it comes to legal weed.

The study showed that over the past seven years, marijuana exposure among young children rose by 145.7 percent. During that same time period, states with legal marijuana laws saw that figure rise by more than 600 percent. Even more concerning was data which showed that the majority of those children were less than three years old.

One major reason for the rise in accidental exposure among children has been the advent of edible marijuana products. As the typical pot user is often a non-smoker, more and more companies have released ingestible ways to feel the psychoactive effects of THC. Brownies, cookies and even breath mints are sold laced with THC and young children are unable to detect the difference between an everyday treat and one containing marijuana.

The study suggests that regulators in states where marijuana is legal haven't been able to keep up with the growing number of risks surrounding the drug. Though most states require marijuana products to be clearly labeled in child-proof packaging, many feel that more effort needs to be made in educating consumers on the dangers of accidental marijuana exposure among children.