When California voters passed Proposition 64 in 2016 to legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults, they were told that cannabis would be strictly labeled and not packaged or marketed in a way that would appeal to children. But the market is now flooded with jar products designed to look like candies and snacks that are popular with children and in flavors that appeal to young people.

Public health experts

participation

that these colorfully packaged products

which

are legal to sell

for adults 21 years and older

,

are an attempt to market marijuana to children. There is a growing number of incidents

children who end up in hospital

after accidentally or knowingly ingesting cannabis products

.

marijuana

Edibles are particularly dangerous for children because they can take a few hours to take effect, so children may eat more than is safe for an adult, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Assemblyman Jacqui Irwin (D-

Camarillo Thousand Oaks

)

has introduced

a bill that would prevent cannabis manufacturers from making, marketing or selling products similar to candy, soda and snacks that appeal to children. Assembly law 1207

would help restore and assist the promise of Proposition 64

protect children’s health.

The bill would

prohibit packaging and advertising thereof

inclusive

e

images such as cartoons, toys and fictional characters; the term “candy,” even if misspelled as “kandy” or “kandee”; and brand names or names

equivalent to

Cereals, chips and other foods marketed to children. These are

common sense

steps to

staff

make sure kids don’t confuse cannabis edibles

with front

candy or other snacks. (An earlier version of the bill would also have banned the addition of food coloring to gummies so they wouldn’t look like candy or fruit snacks.)

In addition, the bill

would

prohibit

flavoring agent in cannabis

vapes follow a voter-approved

ban on flavored tobacco products

introduced last year. Public health experts have long recognized that flavors mask the unappealing taste of tobacco and help children become addicted, and the risk is the same for cannabis vapes. T

The number of hospitalizations of children who have overdosed on cannabis products has multiplied

if more

states

to have

legalize

i.e

marijuana use

for

adults. At least 22 states and Washington, DC, allow recreational use of cannabis products. Another 21 states allow its use for medicinal purposes. However, there is one

right

e not federal

regulations on

cannabis packaging, as opposed to alcohol or tobacco.

T

The number of cases of accidental ingestion of edible cannabis products in children under 5 years of age

increased

from about 207 cases in 2017 to

more than 3,000

in 2021, most of which will take place in a home, according to research published in January 2023 in the journal Pediatrics.

Not surprisingly, cannabis industry groups oppose the bill

the

cost

of compliance and the competition they face from illegal manufacturers who fail to comply with packaging or marketing restrictions.

She also

claim that there is not enough evidence

that cannabis poisoning in children is the result of legal products on the market.

The black market for marijuana in California remains large and thriving.

However,

California voters were told that children would be protected from legal cannabis products, and state lawmakers would have to honor that commitment.