Marijuana cookies and children a harmful combination, expert says

Children who consume food containing marijuana are at serious risk, according to a Regina consultant on drug and alcohol addictions.

Rand Teed, from Regina, says the effects of marijuana on children can be damaging..

"It's very harmful to kids, no matter how you do it," Teed said.

"An overdose causes anxiety, panic attacks. It can cause hallucinations," he added. "[For] a little kid, if that kind of stuff starts to happen to them, they're going to have no idea what's going to go on. So that becomes very frightening."

Teed's observation follows a report from Swift Current RCMP that a toddler suffered seizures and spent two days in intensive carein January after eating cookies made with marijuana.

RCMP said the 20-month-old boy survived and the father is facing charges.

Teed noted that cookies made with marijuana taste like regular cookies.

"So you can eat yourself into an overdose situation before you even realize that there's anything happening," Teed said..

The effects of the marijuana can harm brain development, he said.

"Kids that ... use it accidentally are risking changing how their brain is going to develop," he said. "It can cause comas and seizures."

Teed said marijuana could be compared to alcoholwhen it comes to keeping it away fromchildren.

"You wouldn't leave a glass of alcohol where a toddler get it and drink it because we know that it is toxic," he said. "And marijuana is equally toxic, but in a different way."

RCMP did not provide details on how the Swift Current youngster came to ingest the marijuana cookies beyond stating the toddler "was given accessto the cookies."