Iowa Dad Charged After 4-Year-Old Eats THC Bar is Latest in Edible Emergencies with Children

By Mike Snider and Saleen Martin

An Iowa father is facing child endangerment and drug charges after his 4-year-old son ate a chocolate bar containing THC last month.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services began investigating a 26-year-old man after a boy ingested THC on Nov. 19, the Independence Police Department said in a news release.

The child was taken treated at a hospital and eventually released, Police Chief David Niedert told USA TODAY Friday afternoon.

The boy's father was arrested on Dec. 9 and charged with multiple felonies, including possession with intent to distribute psilocybin or magic mushrooms, failure to affix a drug tax stamp and child endangerment resulting in bodily injury.

He is also facing multiple misdemeanor charges such as possession of marijuana on the 2nd offense and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Cases have been reported all over the country of children consuming marijuana edibles that look like candy, cookies or other snacks.

In 2019, nine Florida elementary school students were sent to a hospital after eating marijuana-infused candy. School administrators said one student inadvertently brought in THC-laced candy and shared it with friends.

And it's not just marijuana children are accidentally consuming. There's also the opioid fentanyl.

Two people were arrested and charged this week after multiple Virginia fourth graders ate gummy bears and got sick. While police found no foreign substance in the gummies, the bag they were served in tested positive for fentanyl.

Father found son 'passed out' after eating chocolate bar containing THC

The most recent case involving the 4-year-old happened last month in Independence, Iowa, about 40 miles northwest of Cedar Rapids.

Court documents filed in Iowa District Court show that the 4-year-old boy ate a chocolate bar containing THC the morning of Nov. 19. The boy was taken to a clinic before being transferred to the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.

Once authorities secured a search warrant, they searched the home the boy's father shares with his girlfriend. There, police found 10.7 grams of mushrooms and 3.5 grams of green plant material that tested positive for marijuana, court documents show.

They also found drug equipment such as a broken bong with drug residue, a glass pipe with drug residue, a digital scale, silicone wax jars and plastic bags.

The man was later interviewed and admitted he got the mushrooms and marijuana from friends and family. He told authorities that he found his son the morning of Nov. 19 "passed out" on the couch with his hand in a bag of chips. He later found the wrapper for a chocolate bar containing THC in the kitchen.

The boy's father told police the child acted "high," so he and his girlfriend took him to the clinic for treatment.

It is not clear who is representing the boy's father.

Researchers find evidence of rise in children consuming edibles

There is evidence that more and more children are accidentally eating edibles containing drugs such as marijuana.

Earlier this year, researchers in Illinois found that the number of children under 6 years old who accidentally ate edible cannabis products increased from 207 cases in 2017 to 3,014 cases in 2021. Nearly one-fourth of these children were admitted to the hospital. The findings were published in the journal Pediatrics earlier this year.

Cases of children consuming marijuana-laced treats grew as more states passed legislation allowing medical and recreational cannabis products. Currently, 37 states permit use of marijuana for medical purposes with 21 states allowing some adult recreational use.

The availability of edible marijuana products has grown since 2014, when Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Among the edibles made with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, are gummies, chocolates, lollipops, cookies and other baked goods.

"Many edible THC containing products resemble treats that might easily be mistaken by a child as just another snack," said study co-author Dr. Marit Tweet, an emergency medicine physician and medical toxicologist with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, in a statement accompanying the study.

How many kids who ate marijuana edibles were admitted to the hospital? 

Of the more than 7,000 cases of child exposures to edible cannabis products reported to the National Poison Data System from 2017-2021, the researchers found:

• 573 kids were admitted to critical care units
• 1,027 kids were admitted to non-critical care units
• 2,550 kids were seen in emergency rooms
• 625 cases refused care/did not go to hospital
• 2,268 outcome unknown/no follow-up

More than half of the children were toddlers, ages 2 and 3, the study showed. More than 90% got the edibles at home.

The last two years of the study occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and day care and school closures could have led to the increased cases and hospitalizations, researchers say.

The results are not surprising, said Dr. Brian Schultz, a pediatric emergency physician at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. He previously worked at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he and his colleagues treated kids who had eaten pot edibles “almost on a daily basis,” he told The Associated Press.

How to recognize cannabis poisoning in kids

Kids admitted to critical care units typically had slowed breathing and reduced heart rates, but a few went into a coma, the researchers found. 

Other symptoms children experienced:

• drowsiness
• breathing problems
• fast heart rate
• vomiting
• agitation
• confusion
• poor muscle control

No deaths were reported during the five years studied.

How to protect your children and prevent accidents

Unintentional marijuana exposure typically happens at home so parents should store any edibles safely and avoid buying them in packages that look like traditional treats or candies, said Kevin Osterhoudt, an attending physician in the Emergency Department and Medical Director of The Poison Control Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on the American Academy of Pediatrics HealthyChildren.org site.

"Never consume marijuana edibles in front of children, either for medical or recreational purposes," he said. "Seeing the products could create temptation for kids."

Locked cabinets that are out of reach of young children are best, Tweet said. And store edibles away from the kitchen or other areas where other foods and snacks are stored or eaten, she said. 

The researchers suggest changes to product packaging and labeling, as well as regulating the maximum allowable dose in a package.

Some states such as Illinois require product packaging that does not appeal to children and the total amount of THC allowed per package is limited, Tweet said.