CLEVELAND — As legislators at the State House work out the legalities of the recreational marijuana rollout across the state, parents and even teachers need to know what to look out for if kids get a hold of products.
In the last four weeks in Cuyahoga County there have been two instances at schools where emergency crews were called to investigate potentially laced candy.
This year, adults 21 and over will be able to get their hands on recreational marijuana products.
“Our stores are ready and our production facility is ready,” said Pete Nischt, Vice President of Compliance and Communications with Klutch Cannabis.
Nischt reiterates Klutch Cannabis products are for adult use only, and their packaging makes it loud and clear. All their products also meet FDA child-resistant standards.
“For a jar it functions similar to a prescription bottle,” Nischt said. “There's some novel mechanisms we use for a vape cart or a disposable vape in a box that has like a button mechanism.”
In April, four Mound STEM School students were rushed to the hospital after police said they ate edibles stolen from a parent's closet. And just this week, school officials at G.W. Carver Elementary called the Cleveland Metro School District security team after thinking students ingested edibles, but investigators found it to be a false alarm.
CMSD said the candy in question was purchased from a nearby Dollar General.
“We've seen far too many instances of accidental situation circumstances that lead to serious injury to children and or death to children,” said Captain Michael Miller with Akron Police.
Miller recommends always keeping prescription drugs or alcohol in its original packaging locked away somewhere safe. If the packaging looks suspicious, it probably is. Any legal medical marijuana from the state of Ohio will say so on the labeling.
“Please put these things out of reach whether they're in bags, containers, purses or wherever that's kept again, out of the reach of a child would be, you'd be doing a huge service.”
Nischt said despite the package locks and label warnings, parents need to do their due diligence, too. He's also a medical marijuana user and has two young kids.
“Always keep it in the packaging it came in because it's the safest and has been certified as child resistant and approved by the Division of Cannabis Control,” Nischt added.
Nischt believes most if not all, the current guidelines for medical marijuana packaging will carry into the new guidelines for recreational marijuana sales, but again, it depends on what legislators in Columbus ultimately decide and approve.
