Pediatric patients soar as delta 8 continues to increase in popularity across the country. In South Carolina, smaller children from teens to infants are noticed to be facing the most serious side effects.
Children Admitted to Emergency Room For Delta-8 THC On Weekly Basis
At the Greenville Prisma Health hospital in Greenville, South Carolina, doctors raise great concerns over the rise in delta 8 related overdoses in pediatric patients.
Delta 8 is a psychoactive cannabinoid similar to Delta 9 THC that is used by adults for recreational and medical purposes.
“A sense of euphoria and kind of relaxed feeling,” said Prisma Health Upstate Emergency Physician Dr. Mason Jackson. “But then that also can progress, unfortunately into psychological side effects that can resemble psychosis and in some cases schizophrenia.”
Jackson’s experience in treating children admitted to the ER for delta 8 overdoses on a weekly basis gives him ill feelings towards the drug.
“Things like respiratory depression or trouble breathing, seizures or low blood pressure,” Jackson said. “A lot of these times requiring ICU level care.”
Jackson also warned that for children and adults, consuming delta 8 in larger amounts can potentially trigger hallucinations and more commonly paranoia. Since most of his patients range from infants to young adults, Jackson has noticed smaller children as having the worst side effects.
Dr. Mason Jackson Warns Parents About Delta 8
Like underage drinking, underage consumption of hemp-derived cannabinoids like delta 8 are also prevalent in South Carolina. Although delta 8 products are only accessible to people over the age of 21, children as young as middle school students are still able to get their hands on these cannabinoids. Unlike alcohol, cannabis products can often disguise themselves in the form of candies, which also contribute to younger children and babies in accidentally ingesting delta 8 THC if left out in the open.
“It may say to only eat a quarter of a cookie to receive the desired effect, but kids aren’t going to eat a quarter of a cookie,” Jackson said. “They’re going to eat the whole package if it’s in front of them. And so it’s very easy for a young child who doesn’t know any better to ingest an extreme amount of this drug.”
Jackson is seeking to gain the attention of parents by informing them of the different kinds of cannabis products out there. From edibles like gummies, hard candies, and other sweets, to vapes that come in different flavors, there are plenty of ways a minor can easily consume these cannabis goods.
“If you do choose to partake in it, we do ask that you use some kind of care that you do with any other chemical. Keep it away from your children. Don’t let them know that it is there,” Jackson said.
Lastly, the doctor also notes that if there is a history of mental illness in the family, it is best to use caution when using delta 8 products, and to especially keep it away from your children. Prolonged THC use may trigger illnesses like schizophrenia and lead into psychotic episodes.
