Cannabis Poisoning in Children

Photo: Public Domaine

"It's not your grandfather's cannabis or your father's cannabis."

"We want people to know legal does not mean safe and they should treat it [cannabis] with appropriate caution and respect." 

"It’s troubling to see such a dramatic rise in pediatric cannabis-related emergency department visits, even before legalization. The social reasons behind this surge are not found in the data used for this study, but the significant increase in visits should be a warning to families and doctors."

"More research is needed to identify the causes of this increase and the health and social consequences of cannabis-related visits for these youths."

"It’s important to be aware that cannabis-related emergency department visits in youth were on the rise even before the 2018 legalization of recreational cannabis use for adults 18 and older in Canada."

"Post-legalization and with cannabis edibles, such as chocolates and gummies, now available throughout Canada, these rates may continue to rise. We suggest that emergency department clinicians maintain a high index of suspicion for cannabis exposure in young people presenting to the emergency department."

"Suppose a young person has unexplained decreased consciousness or agitation; in that case, doctors should ask about possible cannabis exposure early in the visit."

"A recent study showed an increased rate of cannabis poisoning in young children under ten in Canada. Along with our study, this reinforces that parents must be aware of the risks associated with cannabis in youth and properly store and lock any cannabis products in the home."

"We know this phenomenon is happening and will likely become more severe."

Dr.Melanie Bechard, Researcher, Emergency Department Physician, assistant professor of pediatrics, University of Ottawa

Between 2003 and 2017, according to a new study led by the CHEO [Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario] Research Institute, cannabis-related hospital emergency visits for children and youth saw a five-fold increase in the province. This spike arrived before cannabis was legalized in Canada in 2018, affecting children, youth and young adults between the ages of ten and 24, related to cannabis consumption.

Based on research from other jurisdictions, the study lead author, Dr.Bechard, stated her expectation that the steep rate of increase in emergency visits would simply continue following legalization. Over 14.5 million administrative records of emergency department visits in Ontario were examined by researchers. Not only did hospital visits increase, but the medical severity of cannabis visits and the likelihood also rose that a patient in an emergency department for cannabis intoxication would then be admitted to hospital.

An explanation for the increase was not part of the study, but Dr.Bechard felt a number of reasons are likely that would explain why hospitals are seeing such increased cannabis-related visits. Among those possible reasons is the fact that THC is of a higher concentration in today's product than formerly; the main psychoactive compound in cannabis now is greater in comparison to decades earlier, studies confirm.

The steep emergency hospital visit increase arrives in a period when student self-reports indicated that cannabis use was stable, and even on the decrease. Leaving higher THC concentration, not wider use, the culpable explanation. Changing societal attitudes toward cannabis has most likely played a role in the increasing numbers of young people presenting with serious illnesses placed at cannabis' door. Which could also account for cannabis being more readily accessible to young children within a household.

"It is something I see day in and day out as an emergency provider", explained Dr.Bechard. Other research out of Ot4tawa published a month earlier discovered that cannabis poisonings in children dramatically increased once edibles were legalized in 2019, and close to ten percent of all emergency department visits for poisoning in young children are now seen to involve cannabis.

Providers of pediatric health have been attempting to promulgate public health messages highlighting the need for safe storage of cannabis in the household presence of children. Parents and family members are asked as well, to alert health care providers should they suspect cannabis is involved in a child's illness. 

As far as educating older adolescents and teens of safer cannabis use, the study emphasizes its importance. Teens exposed to safe practices in cannabis use should be taught the importance of using lower doses and to increase usage slowly, being careful not to ingest large amounts of edibles, in the process.