Two toddlers, aged two and three, were admitted to the pediatric emergency department at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa on Thursday after consuming cannabis-infused cookies stored in the family refrigerator.
The children were brought to the medical center unresponsive, and one of them was suffering from seizures.
"Upon their arrival at the emergency department, they underwent various tests and were transferred to the intensive care unit for further treatment," said Riyad Sheikh, head nurse of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Ruth Children's Hospital at Rambam. "With improvement and stabilization of their condition, they were transferred to a children's ward for continued observation and later discharged home in good health."
In recent years, there has been an increase in pediatric incidents involving cannabis products, coinciding with the rise in medical cannabis use in Israel. During the summer months, when children are out of school, the number of household accidents involving children peaks.
Dr. Idit Pasternak, head of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Ruth Children's Hospital, warned that exposure to cannabis products poses severe health risks to children. "Medical cannabis products are primarily intended for adults and, in very precise dosages, for children. The effect of these substances on children is different from adults and can be hazardous to their health, potentially even life-threatening. It is crucial to supervise children and exercise extreme caution in storing these substances out of their reach."
According to data from the Rambam Poison Information Center, there were 34 reported cases of cannabis poisoning in children under 18 in 2023, a 62% increase compared to 2022, which saw 21 reported cases in this age group.