Colorado Toddler Tests Positive for THC

A Colorado toddler has tested positive for marijuana. Two-year-old Evelyn Hernandez of Longmont  was allegedly exposed to the drug when she ingested a cookie containing the substance that has recently been legalized in the state for recreational purposes. 

Aida, Evelyn's mother, recalled that her daughter had found the remnants of a pot cookie on the ground outside their apartment.

"It was brown, like a chocolate chip cookie," Hernandez said, via CBS News.

However, she soon realized something was wrong when her daughter kept opening and closing her eyes during sleep. She also seemed very weak and showed difficulty staying awake. Aida said she soon took Evelyn to the hospital where she tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in the drug, during a blood test.

"They do a blood test and that's when they told me. That was a surprise," Hernandez said, via the OsunDefender. "It's everywhere now that it's legal. They have it everywhere."

After searching the mother's home, police say they believe that the woman was telling the truth about not being in possession of the drug, though it is currently now legal in the state.

"All of the parents watch out for their children. I don't want other children getting what she got," said Amira, hernandez' oldest daughter, via the news organization.

Though marijuana may be used for medicinal or recreational purposes in order to increase appetite, decrease weight loss, and can be particularly helpful for those with AIDs or Cancer, chronic cannaboid use can be especially detrimental for working memory. And for a child's brain, it can dramatically harm cognitive functioning and learning.