The packaging of some marijuana and Delta-8 THC edibles mimic fashionable candies, making them extra enticing to kids.

Along with receiving greater than 18,000 confidential calls to its 24-hour hotline (800.222.1222) in 2022, the Blue Ridge Poison Center at UVA Health is on the frontline of monitoring the most recent poisoning considerations.

Anonymized name knowledge from all U.S. poison facilities is uploaded in near-real time to a nationwide database to assist determine and monitor substance misuse traits, poisoning traits and probably hazardous chemical outbreaks. Recent regarding traits embrace the rising availability of THC edibles packaged like sweet and the persevering with results of the opioid disaster, notably the issue of contaminated “fake” opioid tablets.

As the Blue Ridge Poison Center commemorates National Poison Prevention Week this week (March 19-25), listed here are another examples of how the middle protects Virginians:

• Public training. The heart works to assist Virginia residents maintain themselves and family members secure from poisoning. Residents can go to the poison heart’s web site (www.brpc.virginia.edu) to order supplies, entry movies and different on-line sources, request a speaker and extra. All sources are free. You also can comply with the poison heart on Facebook and Twitter for the most recent updates. The heart’s director, Christopher Holstege, MD, has additionally met and offered earlier than many teams in regards to the speedy rise in numbers of kids consuming cannabis edibles and the necessity for safer packaging practices. 
• Health companies. Examples embrace doctor session, analysis, catastrophe preparedness, HAZMAT response, tablet identification and extra.
• Professional training. Each 12 months, BRPC clinicians educate quite a few healthcare professionals and college students by many means, together with in-person and digital lectures; the UVA School of Medicine’s Medical Toxicology elective rotation; and the two-year Medical Toxicology Fellowship program. Additionally, the middle has a publication for healthcare professionals.