NY: Poison control calls on the rise for kids and edibles.
There has been a “sharp increase” in calls to the Upstate New York Poison Center regarding kids and teens who consumed cannabis edibles, the Center said this week.
Specifically, “calls increased nearly sixfold from almost four years ago for children and teens 19-years-old and younger,” from 7 in 2019 to 64 as of this month.
“Some of the biggest reasons why we think there is this increase is because these products are more readily available and many products have enticing packaging,” said Vince Calleo, medical director of the Center.
“Kids are curious and can’t normally tell the difference between products with and without THC. Up high and out of reach of children is the best place to store all cannabis-related products,” he continued.
Gallup: Americans are “split” about whether cannabis is “good or bad” for society.
Americans are almost evenly split on cannabis: 49% consider its role in society as “positive,” while 50% say it’s “negative,” according to a new Gallup poll.
“Americans’ ambivalence about the effects of marijuana contrasts with their widespread support for legalization. According to Gallup’s latest measure, 68% of U.S. adults, tied for the record high, think marijuana should be legal,” Gallup noted.
“Also, although Americans have not reached a consensus on whether marijuana benefits people or society, they see it far more positively than they do alcohol.”
North Dakota: Adult use will appear on the ballot.
The North Dakota Secretary of State announced that New Approach ND turned in enough signatures to put adult use legalization to voters in November.
The title on the ballot will be “Initiated Statutory Measure No. 1,” and it allows for home cultivation in addition to licensed and regulated sales.
“Measure 1 is a conservative approach to cannabis legalization based on legislation passed by the North Dakota House of Representatives. It balances personal freedom with personal responsibility. Adults will no longer be punished for using cannabis — but only if they do so safely and responsibly. As voters have a chance to review the measure in detail, I’m confident a majority will agree this is the right approach for North Dakota,” said Republican State Rep. Matthew Ruby, who is on the campaign’s sponsoring committee, in the campaign’s announcement.
The state joins Maryland, Missouri, and South Dakota in putting adult use on the ballot. (Other states – such as Arkansas, which is caught up in a legal dispute – may soon join.)