Colorado Proposes Edible Pot Ban, Then Retreats

The General

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Colorado health authorities suggested banning many forms of edible marijuana, including brownies and cookies, then whipsawed away from the suggestion Monday after it went public. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment told state pot regulators they should limit edible pot on shelves to hard lozenges and tinctures, which are a form of liquid pot that can be added to foods and drinks.

The suggestion sparked marijuana industry outrage and legal concerns from a regulatory workgroup that met Monday to review the agency's suggestion. Colorado's 2012 marijuana-legalization measure says retail pot is legal in all forms. "If the horse wasn't already out of the barn, I think that would be a nice proposal for us to put on the table," said Karin McGowan, the department's deputy executive director.

Talking to reporters after the workgroup reviewed the department's proposal, McGowan insisted the edibles ban was just one of several proposals under review by pot regulators. Lawmakers have ordered state pot regulators to require pot-infused food and drink to have a distinct look when they are out of the packaging. The order came after concerns about the proliferation of pot-infused treats that many worry could be accidentally eaten by children.

Statewide numbers are not available, but one hospital in the Denver area has reported nine cases of children being admitted after accidentally eating pot. It is not clear whether those kids ate commercially packaged pot products or homemade items such as marijuana brownies. The Health Department's recommendation was one of several made to marijuana regulators. "We need to know what is in our food," said Gina Carbone of the advocacy group Smart Colorado, which says edible pot shouldn't be allowed if it can't be identified out of its packaging.

Marijuana industry representatives insisted that marking pot won't prevent accidental ingestions."There is only so much we can do as manufacturers to prevent a child from putting a product in their mouth," said Bob Eschino of Incredibles, which makes marijuana-infused chocolates. Even health officials worried that an edibles ban would not stop people from making homemade pot treats, with possibly more dangerous results.

"Edibles are very, very popular. And I do worry that people are going to make their own. They're not going to know what they're doing," said Dr. Lalit Bajaj of Children's Hospital Colorado. The meeting came a few days after Denver police released a video about the danger of possible Halloween candy mix-ups. "Some marijuana edibles can be literally identical to their name-brand counterparts," the department warned in a statement, urging parents to toss candies they don't recognize. The edible pot workgroup meets again in November before sending a recommendation to Colorado lawmakers next year. The revised edible rule is to be in place by 2016.

Gourmet_Marijuana_edibles.jpg


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Author: Associated Press
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Website: Colorado Proposes Edible Pot Ban, Then Retreats - ABC News
 
From website for Children's Hospital Colorado:

"Poison control centers in the United States receive 1.2 million calls each year as a result of accidental poisoning of children ages 5 and under. Each year, about 53,000 kids in that age group are treated in emergency rooms for poisoning, and about 70 die. Nearly 90% of these toxic exposures occur in the home, and 60% involve non-pharmaceutical products such as cosmetics, cleansers, personal care products, plants, pesticides, art supplies, alcohol and toys."

From WebMD on 9/15/14: "...the CDC is collaborating with others to design 'innovative packaging' that better protects children, without making it difficult for older adults to take needed medications."
 
Completely off topic but I sure wish my dispensary offered the kind of edible goodies in that pic. :yummy:
 
That's not off-topic, those edibles look great. :)

You're gonna have to branch out further than TorC if you want goodies like that (or get delivery). Some of the edibles I purchased in Albuquerque looked like that...
 
I seldom get out of Dona Ana Co. but do go ABQ with the spouse on occasion. I will make a few dispensary visits mandatory on our next trip.
 
I think there's a bit of a monopoly going on in Dona Ana County, and unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon. I know 420magazine frowns on promotions, but I'll just give you my recommendation for Verdes as the place to find some really good edibles and extracts in Albuquerque.
 
9 children were admitted to hospital.... but were they in any danger?

I don't know the answer, I am asking.

NOBODY should be drugged without CONSENT child or adult, so clear marking should be a requirement.



and child development is changed by any experience, so exposure to any substance should be controlled by an adult/used ONLY to benefit the child.

I don't see the need for ADULT edibles be modeled after candy or at least not child candy look a likes.
 
NOBODY should be drugged without CONSENT child or adult, so clear marking should be a requirement.



and child development is changed by any experience, so exposure to any substance should be controlled by an adult/used ONLY to benefit the child.

I don't see the need for ADULT edibles be modeled after candy or at least not child candy look a likes.
I didnt take it as suggesting ANYBODY should be drugged without CONSENT. I think instead he was inquiring if an immediate physical danger was posed to the children. Just a question, no need to create controversy where there is none.

Cannaedibles need to be as tasty as possible and candy (&hot cocoa mmmm) are the most palatable ways I have had them yet. I havent seen any emblozened with cartoon charaters or whatnot and would agree that such things would not be cool and should be prohib.


@PK- With the opening (and apparent success, judging by the client traffic I've seen) of the place in Dona Ana there is at least Some competition in LC. Like I said, being able to shop when you need the meds rather than by appointment 24 hours later is pretty attractive too.

I visit Ruidoso around the holidays for family reunion stuff. Any info on dispensaries there? Thinkin that I should sign up in advance.
 
I agree with lavieboo that you need something strong to overcome the taste of cannabis, and sugar seems to be popular -- after all, they put sugar in everything. (See John Oliver's recent take on sugar, it's hilarious.)

There's plenty of evidence that sugary additives are used to make medicine taste better for kids, like cherry and grape-flavored cough syrup, and flavored vitamins.

This, from Walgreens website: "We use FDA-approved flavoring to improve taste and make medication go down a bit easier. All of our neighborhood Walgreens and Duane Reade pharmacies nationwide offer flavoring enhancement." The website answers a few questions under the FAQ section about this flavor enhancer, but doesn't go into specifics: "All FLAVORx products are sugar-free, and the sweeting enhancer is natural."

I think they meant to say "sweetening enhancer," but I only know of one "natural" enhancer that sweetens, and that's sugar. I'm guessing it's some kind of chemical concoction, and the ingredients are probably a secret. (You know, it's more important to protect corporations and patents than patients.)

lavieboo: I sure am glad to hear that the competition is doing well in Las Cruces, but I never made it that far south, including Ruidoso. I did travel north, but that's an awfully long drive.

And you know you'll have to try each dispensary yourself because everyone's preferences are so different. When I first joined the program, I spent many months buying edibles from only one dispensary -- even though I was unable to achieve an effect with any of them. (I kept hoping.) And yet, some online reviews suggest that other patients are satisfied with that dispensary's products.

Although it's expensive to experiment with numerous dispensaries, New Mexico's marijuana industry hasn't grown enough to offer patients a lot of options, so you'll have to try as many as you can. I think it's important to know how each dispensary makes their edibles, whether on-site or through a contractor, especially with the new DOH regulations for extracts. Just like it's important for a patient to know who's growing their bud -- if you find the grower or the baker who does the best work, then you've hit pay dirt. :)
 
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