Cannabis Versus Caffeine at the Emergency Room

Newsfeeds keyworded with “cannabis” crackled yesterday with the story of a 10-year old boy who ended up in the emergency room after eating cannabis-infused candies left in his father's car.

The police were summoned to the hospital and the father was rightfully arrested.

Some news outlets reported that the boy “ate candy”; some said he was “hospitalized”, another headline said he was “sent to the ER”, and some said “overdosed.”

Even in the “overdose” version, the boy was treated and went home later that evening.

Er… What’s the point?

Words matter. Anti-cannabis propaganda must always be exposed.

Individual editors and publishers are complicit in perpetuating anti-cannabis propaganda, with the effect in many states being potential medicines are not be allowed for people in need. Such as another 10-year old, Charlotte Figi.

On the other hand…

On the same day, we noticed another very relevant story with a terrible ending: “A teen chugged a latte, a Mountain Dew and an energy drink. The caffeine binge led to his death.” This tragic story happened to a high school boy in South Carolina in April. The story concludes, “The official cause of death was “caffeine-induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia”.

So here’s the American Cannabis Report’s point: Children are vulnerable and need to be advised and protected from many things, including common legal substances like caffeine and sugar.

But cannabis has never been recorded as causing an overdose death. Cannabis has immense potential for treating people with myriad diseases and conditions. The propaganda and rhetoric make it unacceptably difficult for many to know about these solutions, or to gain access to them.