WARNING GIVEN AFTER CANNABIS POISONING CASES

Wellington: Five toddlers have been admitted to Wellington Hospital with
cannabis poisoning in the past six years, prompting a warning for parents
to lock away all hazardous substances.

Wellington School of Medicine senior paediatrics lecturer Thorsten Stanley
said that though cannabis was not the most prevalent form of poisoning, he
was concerned that it occurred at all.

Wellington was one of five North Island hospitals to participate in a study
by Wanganui doctor John Goldsmith that showed 33 children under the age of
21/2 had been admitted with cannabis poisoning.

Dr Goldsmith said in all cases the children had either eaten cannabis oil
from capsules they found lying around, or had cannabis identified in their
urine tests. He feared this number was just the tip of the iceberg.

Dr Stanley said far more than five toddlers could have been admitted to
Wellington Hospital with cannabis poisoning, but many patients would not
have been tested for cannabis. - NZPA