FIVE TODDLERS POISONED BY CANNABIS

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 though it was not the most prevalent form of poisoning, he was
concerned that it did occur.

Wellington was one of five North Island Hospitals to participate in a study
by Wanganui doctor John Goldsmith that showed that 33 children aged under
2-1/2 had been admitted with cannabis poisoning. Dr Goldsmith 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.

He said two of the children - aged between 8 months and 2 years - had been
admitted to the intensive care unit. There had been no deaths - it would be
rare for someone to die from a cannabis overdose.

"Often the child comes in very drowsy or unconscious, and parents may
realise what has caused it, but won't let on because the substance is
illegal, other times parents don't realise what their child has eaten," he
said.

It was important for parents to lock away hazardous substances that young
children could put in their mouths, he said.

Hutt Hospital emergency department head Don Mackie said there were no
records of toddlers being admitted with cannabis poisoning, but a
10-year-old was brought in last week.