Colorado continues to sort out its ongoing experiment with legal marijuana. And with each step it becomes apparent that, while it cannot be treated exactly the same as alcohol, there are steps that can be taken that recognize both pot’s legal status and public safety.
Labeling is one example. A new state law went into effect Saturday that requires a distinctive label appear on edible marijuana products so they can be easily identified. The label, a diamond-shaped symbol with the letters “T-H-C” must be shown on the packaging as well as be stamped into the product itself.
Edible pot products typically take the form of candy and the fear is that they can fall into the hands of children. It is a legitimate concern. A 2016 study of admissions to Children’s Hospital Colorado near Denver, found that admissions for children having accidentally ingested marijuana almost doubled after legalization.
To put that in perspective, two years after Colorado legalized recreational pot that admission rate was 2.3 per 100,000 people in the state population. But that is still too many, especially when considering they are children and simple labeling could help lower the incidence.
“We want to ensure that people genuinely know the difference between a Duncan Hines brownie and a marijuana brownie,” said the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont.
Of course, it is not the 3-year-old who is going to read that label, but it could lessen any confusion adults may have as to which product is which. It could also remind them to keep the edible pot secure and away from little hands.
Perhaps labeling should also include suggested portions. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd visited Colorado shortly after legalization and tried a marijuana candy bar. Unfamiliar with edibles, she “nibbled off the end and then, when nothing happened, nibbled some more.” In a June 2014 column she wrote that she “lay curled up in a hallucinatory state for the next eight hours.”
But for now it is enough to help keep it away from kids. And for that, the new labeling rule is a good start.