Cannabis Edibles and Children

Oregon is considering legislation to address an issue no parent should ever have to contend with – non fatal pediatric cannabis overdoses. While childless, I have been enlisted by friends with children who have eaten cannabis edibles, and had adverse reactions. Thankfully, the worst of it was their offspring being, well, really high, then sleeping for a solid stretch, then waking up with the dreaded edibles hangover.

Not every parent is so lucky, especially those with tender aged children. Rob Hendrickson, the Oregon Poison Center Medical Director at Oregon Health Sciences University, recounted to KATU the experiences of one family whose toddler consumed a muffin with 50 mg of THC.

After being taken to the ER by the child’s mother with “severe symptoms, including seizures and lack of oxygen. She lost consciousness and had to be placed on a ventilator for 36 hours.”

“The Oregon Poison Control Center consults with ER and ICU doctors on over 120 cases of young children with cannabis toxicity in Oregon every year,” Hendrickson said.

Stories such as these helped motivate Senate Bill 1548, which as of this writing, is headed to the Senate floor. Currently, the OLCC requires each package of cannabis edibles to have no more than 100 mg of THC, with each serving limited to 10 mg of THC. SB 1548 would require that each serving be individually wrapped.

The bill’s sponsor, Portland Democratic State Sen. Lisa Reynolds, told KATU “…the goal was to prevent young children from accidentally ingesting large quantities of THC.”

“My particular concern is the toddler toxicity. Because whoever decided to make THC gummies look exactly like candy bars, cookies, and gummies, I think that we need to reckon with this a little bit,” she said.

Oregon’s cannabis edibles industry points out that the bill’s passage would result in higher packaging costs for producers, that cannabis is already extremely regulated, and as Tucker Holland, co-founder and CFO of Entourage testified, “…”The OLCC reports show that Oregon’s regulated cannabis industry reflects these principles through child-resistant packaging, clear potency and serving size information, restrictions on youth appealing imagery and consistent enforcement…”

While we can all agree that no one is actively advocating for children eating THC edibles, let’s unpack a few factors not given much attention. Starting with poor parenting skills.

Be assured that absolutely none of the aforementioned 120 children treated “cannabis toxicity” acquired those edibles by purchasing them at a dispensary. Rather, those edibles were purchased by a grown ass adult without the basic common sense to secure and lock away the edibles from underage users. We aren’t talking about a gun safe level investment, just simply putting the edibles in a place inaccessible to little hands. (This goes for pet parents as well.) Want the definition of FAFO? Here you go.

I’m not in favor of jailing parents and guardians who don’t do as much, but nowhere in any of the press coverage of SB 1548 did I find any discussion about parental responsibility from the bill’s supporters. (It came up overwhelmingly in the comments section, however.)

It’s questionable if individually wrapped pieces would keep every child from ingesting THC in concerning doses. If you’ve never met a child, they have little to no impulse control, want sugary things, always, and have the feral animal-like ability to consume things quickly, silently, and in horrifying amounts. And despite it being a painful truth, they are dumb, in regard to certain things. Which is why, as the adult with the fully formed frontal cortex, and we assume a good decision making skill set, it’s on you to SECURE THE DAMN EDIBLES.

Regarding Sen. Miller’s concerns over a “needed reckoning” with edibles looking “exactly” like candy bars, cookies and gummies, I assume she has not visited the adult beverage aisle recently. Prepare to clutch your pearls senator, as there are alcoholic beverages sweetened with sugar into a taste some might say would be enjoyed by children.

In 2023, the largest share of the $16 billion U.S. confectionary markets were adults 35 to 44, so it stands to reason cannabis edible consumers are going to seek out similar products. There’s a reason Liver, Onions and Broccoli Cannabis Dumplings aren’t a thing.

This article appears in the Source March 5, 2026.