Edible marijuana samples are set aside for evaluation at a cannabis testing laboratory in Santa Ana, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2018. The number of young kids, especially toddlers, who accidentally ate marijuana-laced treats rose sharply over five years as pot became legal in more places in the U.S., according to an analysis published Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022, in the journal Pediatrics. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

(AP) A new U.S. study finds that reports of young children accidentally eating marijuana-laced treats rose sharply as pot became legal in more places. More than 7,000 confirmed cases of kids younger than 6 eating pot edibles were reported to the nation’s poison control centers over a recent five-year period. The study published Tuesday found nearly a quarter of those children were hospitalized, with some becoming seriously ill. The study’s author says parents need to be more vigilant and keep pot candies, chocolate and cookies out of reach of children.