Adolescent cannabis abuse increased 245 percent since 2000, especially for edible products<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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TUESDAY, Dec. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) — U.S. poison centers reported greater than 330,000 misuse and abuse exposure cases and 450 deaths over 20 years for school-aged children and adolescents, according to a study published online Dec. 5 in Clinical Toxicology<\/em>.<\/p>\n Adrienne R. Hughes, M.D., from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and colleagues examined recent trends and patterns of intentional substance misuse and abuse exposures among U.S. school-aged children and adolescents. The analysis included intentional misuse and abuse exposures in children (6 to 18 years) reported to the National Poison Data System (2000 through 2020).<\/p>\n The researchers identified 338,727 cases, with misuse\/abuse ingestions fluctuating over time and a peak in 2011. More intentional misuse\/abuse ingestions occurred in males (58.3 percent) and in older children (>80 percent in youth aged 13 to 18 years). Nearly one-third of ingestions (32.6 percent) resulted in worse than minor clinical outcomes, with a greater number of severe medical outcomes occurring in older versus younger age groups. Deaths were rare overall (450; 0.1 percent), with male sex, older age, abuse ingestions, exposure site of a public area or other residence, and multiple ingested substances associated with increased mortality. There was a dramatic rise in marijuana exposure rates occurring from 2017 to 2020 (245 percent since 2000), with edible marijuana preparations accounting for the highest increase in call rates.<\/p>\n “These findings highlight an ongoing concern about the impact of rapidly evolving cannabis legalization on this vulnerable population,” the authors write.<\/p>\n