2023-12-22 19:00:18
Christmas is approaching, and with it, the promise of family reunions and sweet abundance. However, in the United States, certain candies could well spoil the party. These are those which contain THC, the psychotropic element of cannabis, and which “send hundreds of children to the hospital”, alert The Wall Street Journal (WSJ)New York daily.
In the form of a red, square candy or gummy bear, these products containing cannabinoids derived from hemp have conquered the United States. If they are not sold for consumption by minors, their colorful and attractive packaging is a hit with children, without States being able to regulate their sale, continues the daily.
A booming market
Gum drops, syrups, vaping cartridges… Hemp variants are hidden in many products. And in 2023, one of them stood out: Delta-8 THC, a lighter version of cannabis, with mild effects. Sold in crisp wrappers or in the form of candy necklaces, and costing $1 each, it can appeal to the youngest, assures the WSJ.
And in fact, in half of the cases, the main retailers who sell these Delta-8 products offer them “in packaging attractive to children”, according to a preliminary study by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
With $28 billion (26 billion euros) in sales in 2022, hemp has overtaken the legal weed market in the United States ($26 billion, or around 24 billion euros), reports the website of the bimonthly economic Forbes, which cites figures from Whitney Economics, a data company specializing in cannabis. Increasingly, creators are obtaining their intoxicating compounds not from marijuana (which is illegal) but from hemp, which Congress legalized in 2018 when it enacted the Cannabis Act. improvement of agriculture.
Or, “While marijuana cannot legally cross state lines, hemp products can.” underlines Forbes. Without federal rules governing them, they are subject to restrictions.
Breathing difficulties
The year 2023 was thus marked by a clear increase in hospitalizations or health problems due to the ingestion of these products. National poison control centers claim to receive many more calls for this type of case (from four in January 2021 to hundreds each month between 2022 and 2023). However, more than half of these calls concerned children.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also reported a sharp increase in reports of adverse effects from these products, which range from nausea to difficulty breathing, reports the WSJ. Currently, there is little scientific data on the effects of Delta-8 and other hemp derivatives on the brains of children, according to health authorities. The FDA, however, insists that these intoxicants fall under the law.
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