What to Do If a Child Eats Cannabis | Safety Guide

What to do if a child eats cannabis

Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 now, and call 911 if the child is hard to wake, breathing slowly, vomiting without stopping, or having a seizure. Do not wait for symptoms to appear. Keep the product package with you so you can read the milligrams of THC per serving and the total milligrams per package. Most young children who eat cannabis become sleepy, unsteady, and fussy, and they recover with monitoring and fluids. Small body weight plus an unknown dose is the reason a medical professional should decide whether the child needs an emergency room visit.

Cannabis and Child Accidental Ingestion: Safety Guide

What to have ready when you call

• The child's age and weight
• The product type: edible, flower, vape cartridge, tincture, or topical
• The label numbers, including THC milligrams per serving and per package
• How much you think was eaten and how much is missing
• The time of ingestion, or the window if you are not sure
• Symptoms you see right now and any change over the last hour
• Other medications or supplements the child may have reached

What not to do

• Do not make the child vomit. Edibles empty from the stomach slowly and vomiting can lead to choking.
• Do not give food or drink to a child who is drowsy or having trouble swallowing.
• Do not leave the child alone to sleep it off.
• Do not count on a home drug test to confirm the exposure. The result does not change the treatment.
• Do not hold back from calling because you worry about legal trouble. Poison Control and emergency staff handle these calls to treat the child, and many states have laws that protect people who seek help for an overdose.

How edibles behave in a small body

Onset for edibles runs 30 to 120 minutes. Peak blood levels arrive at about 2 to 4 hours, and effects can last 6 to 12 hours or longer after a large dose. That delay is what catches parents off guard. A child can seem fine at minute 20 and be difficult to wake at minute 90.

Child Cannabis Overdose Signs: What to Look For

What to look for when you buy cannabis and storage at home

Prevention starts at the point of purchase, and the container matters as much as the product. Look for these features.

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• Child-resistant packaging with a push-and-turn or squeeze-and-turn cap. Keep the product in that original container. A zipper bag with a logo is not child-resistant.
• A locked box, locking cabinet, or lockable bag large enough for edibles, tinctures, and vape carts. A keyed lockbox on a closet shelf works better than a high shelf alone.
• Low-dose or single-serving packages. A pack labeled 100 mg total is harder to manage than a pack of 2.5 mg or 5 mg servings.
• Labels that state THC milligrams per serving and per package, plus a lot number and an expiration date.
• Opaque, resealable bags rather than glossy foil that looks like candy.
• Tincture bottles with dropper caps instead of squeeze bulbs, since bulbs leak and pool on counters.
• Vape cartridges stored upright with caps on and away from food areas.
• A dosing log or phone reminder so you know how much is left in the package.

Numbers worth knowing

For adults, 2.5 to 10 mg of THC is a typical serving range. For a toddler or preschooler, 2 to 5 mg can bring noticeable drowsiness or unsteady walking, 10 to 20 mg often brings heavy sedation, vomiting, and a racing heart, and 100 mg or more can lead to hours of lethargy and, in rare cases, breathing problems. Treat any package with more than 10 mg of THC per serving as a locked-cabinet item, not a pantry or nightstand item.

Pitfalls that lead to calls

1. Storing edibles in the kitchen next to snacks, or in a purse or backpack a child can reach.
2. Moving gummies into a plain zipper bag and losing the label.
3. Buying a bulk 500 mg or 1000 mg pack and dividing it by hand.
4. Assuming a sleeping child is fine when breathing has slowed or skin looks pale.
5. Waiting an hour because nothing has happened yet. Edible effects are delayed, so early action matters more, not less.
6. Calling the dispensary first. Staff can describe a product, but they cannot assess a child.

FAQ

How long until I know if something is wrong?

Most symptoms show up within 30 minutes to 2 hours, but a large dose can take longer to peak. Watch for sleepiness, poor balance, dilated pupils, vomiting, and a fast heart rate. Call Poison Control at the first sign rather than at the worst one.

Can a child die from eating cannabis?

Deaths are rare, and reported cases typically involve very large doses or other substances. Serious outcomes still happen, including long sedation and breathing trouble. Treat any known ingestion as a medical call.

Should I call first or drive to the ER?

Call Poison Control first when the child is awake and breathing normally. They triage and often advise home monitoring or a clinic visit. Call 911 when the child is unresponsive, breathing slowly, blue around the lips, or seizing.

What if I do not know how much was eaten?

Give your best estimate, read the package total, and let Poison Control guide you. An unknown dose with a young child usually calls for more caution, not less.

How should I store edibles so this does not happen again?

Locked, labeled, and up high, in the original child-resistant package, and separated from food. Many households keep flower and edibles in a lockbox in a bedroom closet and leave only the current day's dose outside it.