Ignoring today’s true menaces – alcohol, tobacco, and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals – Sen. Chuck Grassley thinks the feds have turned a blind eye to some of the more nuanced issues surrounding the enforcement of legal marijuana in the US.

Like keeping pot from tiny inquisitive hands.

Citing a recent pediatric study performed by JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), Sen. Chuck Grassley from The Hawkeye State is now accusing Pres. Obama and the Department of Justice of naïvely discounting the perils of marijuana legalization — which JAMA just concluded resulted in a 150% increase in exposure to marijuana for Colorado’s youngest residents.

“Conclusions and Relevance: Colorado RPC [regional poison centers]cases for pediatric marijuana increased significantly and at a higher rate than the rest of the United States, suggesting that legalization did affect the incidence of exposures.”

Sen. Grassley then utilized JAMA’s assumption to criticize the DOJ’s oversight of Colorado; “The Obama administration should stop burying its head in the sand,” regarding recreational marijuana enforcement. Seemingly oblivious of the fact legal killers lurk in just about every American household, Sen. Grassley condemned BHO (Barack Hussein Obama) and the DOJ for not protecting Colorado’s kids from its state-sanctioned recreational marijuana.

“New data shows just how badly it’s failed to do so, especially with edible products sold in shapes and packaging that appeal to children.”

Rather than accepting JAMA and Grassley’s assertion, let’s look at data provided by The American Association of Poison Control Centers, whose aggregated data was published in the Washington Post. In their annual report from 2012, the provided info gives greater insight to the number of reported poisoning cases for other common substances as compared to marijuana.

Though the above data is four years old, it suggests hazards are everywhere. And that, it’s up to today’s parents to act responsibly by educating their kids about the dangers of playing with things they don’t understand while at the same time keeping potential problems locked up and out of reach.

Bearing in mind the above infographic measures “exposures” in increments of 10,000 – according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, between January 2013 and December 2015 there was a total of 430 marijuana-related reports to US poison centers. Of the reported cases, 166 came from Colorado, 96 from Washington, 26 from Oregon, 6 from Hawaii, 10 from Nevada, 8 from Utah, 1 from Alaska, 4 from Connecticut, 11 from Michigan … and 6 from Minnesota.

With just north of 315 million people calling America home, It’s unfortunate the national number of cannabis related exposures hit 430 for the reported time period. That said, it’s equally important to remember that common household items were responsible for the poisoning of more than 200,000 people. All things being considered, that’s a pretty damn good track record.

So, while Sen. Grassley looks to demonize the legalization of marijuana through any means possible, he might want to remember, weed doesn’t poison people … but ignorance most certainly does.

(Photo Courtesy of Allie Beckett)