Posted by azdrugrehabctr on June 19, 2015 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News | 
A new report in Clinical Pediatrics shows that children under the age of five are being exposed to marijuana more than ever, with an increase of 147.5% from 2006 to 2013. There was an increase of 610% in states that had legalized medical marijuana before the year 2000.
According to the study, in states that have recently legalized marijuana, young children have an even higher rate of exposure than where it is not. Children under 6 years of age are exposed to marijuana 63% more than in states where it is still illegal. Perhaps even more alarming is the amount of children who are actually ingesting the drug. Researchers found that while most children were indirectly exposed to the drug, but it has been reported that many children actually ingest the drug. This is often because of the growing market of marijuana edibles.
“The high percentage of ingestions may be related to the popularity of marijuana brownies, cookies and other foods. Very young children explore their environment by putting items in their mouths, and foods such as brownies and cookies are attractive,” explained Henry Spiller, the co-author of the study.
A common argument for the legalization of marijuana is that the substance is not as dangerous as some other substances. However, the increase in exposure for young children may not have been predicted, and the harm done to developing brains hasn’t fully been understood yet. For people against legalizing marijuana, these represent valid enough arguments in themselves.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on September 17, 2014 under Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
An alarming trend has started to develop where children are being poisoned by buprenorphine, which a drug commonly prescribed to treat opiate addiction. Suboxone is a form of buprenorphine and is usually prescribed to heroin or opiate addicts to help them get over the painful withdrawal symptoms associated with the drug use. Suboxone comes in the form of a dissolvable strip that is placed under the tongue. Since the medication contains a synthetic opiate, it can be very dangerous for children.
The study shows that Suboxone was the most common drug stated during emergency room visits for children aged six and younger. This means that not only are these children gaining access to this harmful drug, but it also means that they are surrounded by someone or a group of people who are or have been abusing opiates. In its pure state, buprenorphine is actually much more powerful than morphine.
The study showed that for every 100,000 people who are prescribed buprenorphine, 200 children will be hospitalized from the medication. Almost 800 children were hospitalized last year for buprenorphine poisoning, with some of them not making it out alive.
Some people wonder if the reason why these children are gaining access to the drug is because the parents or guardians are irresponsible. In order to be in a situation where one needs Suboxone, the person has to be dependent on heroin or prescription painkillers in the first place. There can be a carelessness associated with the behavior.
Thankfully, the Federal Government wasted no time in ordering that new childproof packaging be developed for medicine like Suboxone. It is believed that this new packaging will help reduce the number of children from ingesting the drug. Other buprenorphine makers are also marketing individually wrapped tablets. It is thought that these individually wrapped tablets can reduce the harm associated with accidental overdoses by children. However, regardless of how the Suboxone is packaged, it is vital that it is kept far out of reach of children.
