Children aged 10 and younger were brought to U.S. emergency departments for cannabis far more often during the COVID-19 pandemic than before it. Mean weekly visits in that age group ran 18.7 to 23.2 before the pandemic; during it, they reached as high as 71.5 a week in the summer of 2022. It was part of a broader rise in cannabis-involved visits among everyone under 25 that had not returned to 2019 levels by the end of 2022.
What was measured
CDC analyzed data from an average of 1,671 emergency departments a week reporting consistently to the National Syndromic Surveillance Program. A visit counted as cannabis-involved if a discharge diagnosis code or the chief complaint ("smoke weed," "ingest hash") showed cannabis use. From December 30, 2018, to January 1, 2023, there were 539,106 such visits among people under 25 — 64.9 per 10,000 emergency visits.
By age
| Age group | What changed |
|---|---|
| 10 and younger | visit rates far above prepandemic levels; mean weekly visits peaked at 71.5 in summer 2022, and visit rates ran 2.4 to 5.8 times their 2019 levels |
| 11–14 | mean weekly visits peaked at 209.3 in the second half of the 2021–22 school year; from the first half of the 2020–21 school year, rates among girls overtook boys' and stayed higher |
| 15–24 | more than 90% of all visits; mean weekly visits peaked at 2,813.2 in the second half of the 2020–21 school year, with rates elevated through summer 2021 before briefly returning to baseline |
About 18.7 percent of Americans aged 12 and older used cannabis in 2021. Visits had already been rising significantly for years before the pandemic in every age group except 15–24, possibly as legalization expanded.
Why young children
The findings fit National Poison Data System data showing that edible cannabis ingestions among children under 6 rose 1,375 percent from 2017 to 2021, with more severe toxicity during the pandemic. In June 2022, the Food and Drug Administration warned that THC edibles are easily mistaken for products appealing to children, and advised keeping them out of reach — in a locked box, for example.
Why girls 11–14
The report suggests girls may have been more likely than boys to use cannabis to cope with pandemic stress; a 2021 study found young females more likely to use harmful coping mechanisms during the pandemic.
What could help
- clinicians aware of rising cannabis-involved visits, for earlier diagnosis of intoxication;
- safe storage of cannabis at home, to prevent children's accidental ingestion;
- evidence-based school programs that build coping and problem-solving skills, which have shown promise in preventing initiation and harmful use;
- cannabis packaging that appeals less to young people, and fuller labeling.
Sources
Based on "Cannabis-Involved Emergency Department Visits Among Persons Aged <25 Years Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, 2019–2022," by Douglas R. Roehler and colleagues, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. Data: CDC's National Syndromic Surveillance Program.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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