가디언(The Guardian)보도…마리화나 함유 브라우니와 젤리등으로 영유아와 청소년들 섭취 급증, 기호용 마리화나 합법화한 지 한달도 못돼 젊은층사이에 중독증상 심각한 사회문제로 떠올라
캐나다가 지난달 10월 17 일 기호용 마리화나(대마초)를 합법화한 지 한달도 못돼 벌써 젊은층 사이에 마리화나 중독증상이 심각한 사회문제로 떠올랐다.
영국 굴지의 일간지 가디언(The Guardian)은 “마리화나가 함유된 식품 판매는 연방법에 따라 내년 2019년까지 금지된 상태”라면서 “그러나, 캐나다 곳곳에서 마리화나가 들어있는 브라우니(brownie)와 젤리(jelly) 등이 판매되고 있다”고 11월 11일 보도했다. 브라우니(brownie)는 열매가 든 판초콜릿을 넣은 케이크 형태를 말한다.
앞서 마리화나 합법화를 앞둔 지난해 이미20세 미만 환자 약 600여명이 마리화나 중독증세를 보였다. 이는 주로 캐나다 최대 도시 토론토를 주도(主都)로 하는 온타리오주와 서부지역의 앨버타주에서 발생했다.
3년전 2014년에 비해 갑절이나 껑충된 수치다. 마리화나가 함유된 식품을 멋모르고 먹은 4살 이하의 어린이도 24명이나 포함돼 충격을 주고 있다.
온타리오주 독극물 센터 책임자 마거릿 톰프슨 박사( Dr .Margaret Thompson)는 “ 마리화나가 합법화된 지 한달도 돼지 않았는 데도 중독증세가 크게 늘고 있는 추세”라며 “ 캐나다보다 먼저 합법화한 미국 일부 주들에서 입원 환자가 급증하는 양상들이 벌어질 가능성도 배제할 수 없다”고 밝혔다. 미국의 콜로라도 주는 마리화나가 포함된 어떠한 형태의 식품 생산을 금지시켜 아예 영유아와 청소년의 접근을 근본적으로 차단하고 있다.
톰프슨 박사는 “이들 미성년자들은 평소 즐기던 브라우니와 젤리형태로 만들어진 마리화나제품들을 호기심으로 사먹을 경우 심신\(心身)에 엄청난 폐|해를 안겨줄 뿐 “이라고 경고했다.
실제로 캐나다 서부 최대 도시 밴쿠버의 한 온라인 회사가 판매하는 마리화나 브라우니에선 미국 콜로라도주의 합법 기준치보다 9배 많은 양의 마리화나가 들어있는 것으로 분석결과가 나오자 캐나다 정부은 1년 내 규제를 한층 강화하는 법을 도입하겠다고 밝혔다.
현행 캐나다의 마리화나법은 “미성년자가 기호용 마리화나를 살 수 없으며, 판매자에겐 최대 1만5000달러(약 1700만원)의 벌금 또는 14년의 징역형이 선고된다”고 명시하고 있다.
<가디언지 원문>
Canada: officials urge action to keep edible marijuana away from children
Spike in marijuana poisonings prompts call over edibles
Many retailers sell cannabis-laced brownies and sweets
Leyland Cecco in Toronto
Sun 11 Nov 2018 10.00 GMT
Ontario and Alberta have already experienced nearly 600 cases of poisoning last year for patients under the age of 20.
Ontario and Alberta have already experienced nearly 600 cases of poisoning last year for patients under the age of 20. Photograph: Richard Vogel/AP
Following a sharp increase in cannabis poisoning among young people, Canadian health professionals are calling for tighter controls to keep edible marijuana products away from minors.
Canada last month became the second country in the world to legalize recreational cannabis, but federal legislation prohibits the sale of edible versions of the drug until at least 2019. The law, however, has done little to stop online retailers and physical stores from openly selling brownies and candies infused with cannabis throughout the country.
Ontario and Alberta have already experienced nearly 600 cases of poisoning last year for patients under the age of 20, nearly twice the figure for 2014. The two provinces also saw 24 children under the age of four taken to emergency rooms after eating cannabis edibles last year, the Canadian Institute for Health Information said.
“We’ve seen a spike for sure,” said Dr Margaret Thompson, director of the Ontario Poison Centre. “Will we see a huge increase as they did in some of the United States? I can’t say for sure.”
Following legalization, a number of US states experienced a significant jump in the hospitalizations related to cannabis. Colorado quickly tightened rules around the previously unregulated edibles market as emergency visits set a new record. In a bid to keep the product unappealing to children, the revised state rules prevented products from resembling animals, fruit or people, and limiting their THC content.
Because the effect of cannabis is delayed when eaten – and ingesting a gummy bear or cookie is easier than smoking – doctors have greater concerns over poisoning cases with edibles.
This summer, a young girl in British Columbia was rushed to the emergency room after her parents realized she’d consumed an unknown quantity of cannabis-infused gummy bears she found in the back seat of a car.
“It’s not fair to ask the entire world to police one person’s child. That’s the job of a parent– explicitly,” said Yannick Craigwell, who runs the online edibles store TreatsandTreats. “Parents should make sure if they purchase these things, it’s their responsibility to make sure it’s not available to kids.”
Health Canada already requires marijuana come in child-proof packaging when sold in government-run stores. But for health professionals, that might not be enough.
“As a toxicologist and an emergency physician, in both of those fields we certainly feel these products are attractive to children. And therefore, they put children at increased risk,” said Thompson.Health Canada has considered banning cannabis products with flavours that might appeal to children.
Because edibles cannot be legally purchased, there is no prescribed dosage of THC – the main psychoactive element of marijuana – in each unit. One company in Vancouver, which sells brownies online, has THC levels nearly nine times higher than Colorado’s legal amount.
Bill Blair, the cabinet minister overseeing legalization, has said that regulation stipulating the potency and purity of edibles will be introduced within a year.
The Cannabis Act already has strict rules against providing drugs to minors, with a maximum fine of $15,000 and as many as 14 years in jail.
“I definitely agree with the doctors that when you’re administering anything that’s considered a drug, there should be more rules that govern it,” said Craigwell. “But the problem is, we’re in such a grey area right now.”
