4 ways to child-proof your cannabis stash

Certain responsibilities come with having the privilege of purchasing cannabis for medicinal or recreational purposes. One of those is ensuring that your stash only remains accessible to you. That can be a challenge if you live with others, though. Children and pets, in particular, can be curious about things they’re not supposed to be privy to, and they can be small and lightweight enough to get into what you may think to be a safe hiding space for your cannabis stash. Given the risks, take the time to properly child-proof your cannabis stash.

Accidental cannabis ingestion among children: A growing concern

If you worry that the kids at home might accidentally consume your gummies, brownies, and other cannabis products, your concern is understandable. According to a new study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics publication Pediatrics, the number of children who unknowingly ingested edibles has jumped 14-fold in the last five years.

The researchers found that between 2017 and 2021, there have been more than 7,000 incidents of children under six years old who were exposed to cannabis. More than 97% of these exposures happened in a residential setting.

Considering these figures, it’s sensible to take special precautions when accepting your cannabis delivery and storing your edibles at home. If you have children, it’s only proper to teach them not to open packages addressed to others.

Also, have a dedicated and child-proof container or place for storing your edibles and other cannabis products. In some places, this is the law.

4 ways to keep your cannabis stash away from kids

Here are some of your options for helping ensure your stash stays out of the hands of curious kids:

1. Use unappealing containers

Many edibles take on shapes and colors that appeal to children of all ages. Some edibles look like desserts and snacks, others look like gummies and candies.

Many children will find it difficult to resist the urge to try and get their hands on these items once they see them in the home. One way to avoid sparking their interest in the first place is to keep your edibles in plain, opaque, and unappealing containers—the kind that doesn’t look like it has delicious things inside of them.

Remove the colorful packaging and cute characters from the containers, if any. That helps to prevent attracting the attention of any kids in the house.

2. Keep your stash out of sight and reach

Keeping your cannabis container out of sight and out of reach can give you a bit of assurance that the kids will not try to get it. Hide it in a place they are unlikely to see and reach without considerable efforts, such as in a lockable room or closet or on the top shelf of your kitchen cabinets.

It’s also an option to hide the container where it can disappear in plain sight. Maybe you have boxes in the garage full of things the kids won’t be interested in. That might be where you decide to keep your herbs, including your cannabis stash. Make sure that the cannabis container doesn’t stand out from the other items that are already stored in that section of your home.

3. Invest in child-proof containers

Having child-proof containers for storing your cannabis stash is a requirement in many places, including California. There’s a good reason for this. After all, you never really know when a child will start exploring the contents of the containers you have at home. If your child reaches your cannabis stash by accident, the child-proof container will be the only thing preventing them from ingesting your edibles.

There are different child-proof containers to choose from. You can go with a smell-proof bag that won’t betray its contents to your curious kid, a safe. Or a canvas bag with lockable zipper pulls.

As always, keep the exterior of these containers boring so as not to stoke a young child’s curiosity. If you need to put your edibles in a shared fridge, a child-proof lock box can help keep the stash safe from accidental ingestion.

4. Label your containers clearly and properly

Why is labeling items clearly and properly important? It’s one of the first steps to avoiding accidental poisoning in your home.

A clearly labeled cannabis container can help ensure that anyone who can read knows what they’re getting into in case they find and open your stash. If you live with another adult and discover that your child is playing with an item labeled as “cannabis,” they can take the container away from the kid and put it in a safe place.

If the kid has already ingested the edibles, the adult that the child is with can immediately identify the substance they’ve taken by looking at the label. This, in turn, will make it easier for medical professionals to give the child the right treatment or management plan.

Concluding words

Keep your kids safe. Exposure to edible cannabis can negatively affect the health of a child, so you need to take steps to prevent it at all costs. Along with the suggestions above, do your homework to take any other steps necessary to reduce the household risks to children’s health.