Get help now
Emergency help
If someone may have swallowed or used too much cannabis, get help now. You don’t need to be sure. The call is free.
Pending clinician sign-off. A named clinician has not yet reviewed this guidance. If you are worried about someone right now, call 911 or Poison Help and follow their advice.
What to do now
- Call 911 right away if the person won’t wake up, has trouble breathing, has a seizure or uncontrollable shaking, or collapses or is extremely weak. 1
- Otherwise, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Don’t wait for symptoms to start.1
- Put the product out of reach so no one else can take more. Keep the package. You will need the label.
- Don’t try to make the person throw up.2 The poison expert will tell you what to do.6
- Stay with the person and follow the advice you are given.
If a child ate cannabis
Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away, even if the child seems fine. Call 911 if the child won’t wake up, has trouble breathing, has a seizure, or collapses.1
Edibles like gummies and chocolates can take 30 minutes to 2 hours to cause symptoms.3 The effects may be strongest 3 to 4 hours after eating.4 So a child can seem fine at first.
What to tell poison control
Have the product package with you when you call. They will ask:
- The person’s age and about how much they weigh
- What they took: the product name and type (gummy, chocolate, drink, vape, flower, oil)
- How much THC is in it. California labels list THC in milligrams (mg) per serving and per package.5
- How much they took, and when
- What symptoms you see right now
- Any medicines, alcohol or other drugs they may also have taken
- Your phone number, in case the call drops
Who answers in California
In California, Poison Help calls are answered by the California Poison Control System, run by UCSF. It is free and confidential, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with interpreters in more than 200 languages.1
Anywhere else in the United States, the same number connects you to your local poison center. The call is free and confidential.6
After the emergency
- Check whether the product has been recalled on the DCC Cannabis Recall Portal.7
- To tell a regulator about a product that made someone sick, see how to report a problem in California.
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