The British tabloid press is reporting on a 10-month-old baby who had to be rushed to the hospital after accidentally swallowing cannabis. Police in Lyon, France, arrested the baby’s parents after they checked their child into the emergency room. Stories say the infant is currently in a coma and fighting for its life. At this point, details on the situation are scarce. But the 10-month-old’s hospitalization is being linked to a similar incident in France in April. Both France and the UK have strict laws prohibiting non-medical cannabis use and restricting medical access.
UK Tabloid Stokes Fears Over Cannabis and Children
The conversation over cannabis legalization in the UK was reignited earlier this year, when the case of 12-year-old Billy Caldwell came to national attention. Caldwell relied on THC and CBD cannabis oil to treat his life-threatening epilepsy. But his mother had the boy’s medicine confiscated at London Heathrow airport as she returned from Canada, where she had to fly to purchase the oil.
Outrage over the incident mounted to a public outcry that jolted public officials out of their complacent opposition to legal cannabis. Ultimately, British Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced a comprehensive government review of legalization, paving the way for real policy reform and setting the UK on the path toward broader legalization. Yet while many conservatives in parliament are changing tack, some are holding fast to well-worn anti-cannabis talking points.
The Sun, founded in 1964, is a conservative tabloid publication. And it often prints sensationalized stories about cannabis to stoke continued fear and hysteria over the prospect of legalization. Today’s story about a comatose French baby who swallowed cannabis bears many of the traits