WAYNE, N.J. – Assemblyman Kevin J. Rooney (R-40) today renewed his calls for safer cannabis storage in the wake of increased incidents involving children and teens accidentally consuming marijuana edible products.

Assemblyman Rooney’s bill, A4408, requires cannabis products to be stored in a locked container. The bill establishes civil penalties to be enforced for failure to store cannabis products in a locked box or container.

“After reading reports and hearing anecdotal evidence of increased cases of children and teenagers being rushed to hospitals and contacting poison control centers due to ingesting edible cannabis products, I cannot stress the importance of this bill enough,” said Assemblyman Rooney. “If adults choose to purchase legally distributed cannabis products, that is their prerogative under the new state law, but they must be held accountable to prevent these products from getting into the hands of children who could unknowingly consume unsafe amounts and cause health issues.”

Assemblyman Rooney’s bill was introduced following an incident where two Bergen County children under the age of nine were rushed to local hospitals after consuming their parents’ cannabis brownies that were left on a kitchen counter. There are companies selling products designed as mainstream foods, such as “Doweedos” and snacks with nearly identical packaging to their non-cannabis counterparts, with the word “Medicated” or marijuana leaf graphics added to the label indicating that the snacks contain marijuana.

A recent story highlighting increased calls to the Upstate New York Poison Control Center can be found HERE, which Assemblyman Rooney says is just further proof that legislative intervention into unsafe storage of these products — which can be harmful to minors — is necessary.

For more information about Assemblyman Kevin J. Rooney, please visit www.kevinjrooney.com.