Beersheba baby recovers after swallowing small amount of hashish

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
A year-old baby from Beersheba was treated last week at Soroka University Medical Center after swallowing a substance later identified as hashish. He was sleepy and suffered from shortness of breath when taken by ambulance to the hospital. Urine tests showed the presence of hashish - but it was not a large amount, which could have killed him, the hospital said. He gradually recovered and has been discharged. The hospital's social worker reported the case to the welfare authorities. Prof. Mati Lifschitz, chairman of the pediatrics branch and director of the toxicology unit at Soroka said that consuming the drug, even a small amount, can have a fatal effect on children and infants. Its active ingredient affects the central nervous system, including the brain, and can cause a child to lose consciousness and disrupt vital signs. "It is a harmful drug and thus illegal for people of any age to be exposed to it," Lifschitz said.