Unintentional Pediatric Marijuana Exposures at a Tertiary Care Children's Hospital in Washington State: A Retrospective Review. 2021

Anita Anne Thomas, and Tavis Dickerson-Young, and Suzan Mazor
From the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington/Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA.

BACKGROUND Recreational marijuana became commercially available in Washington State in 2014. Children with marijuana intoxication can have lethargy and altered mental status, often resulting in extensive workup. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to quantify the incidence of pediatric marijuana exposure before and after marijuana legalization/commercial availability in Washington State at a tertiary care children's hospital. METHODS Charts of patients 9 years or younger evaluated at a tertiary care pediatric hospital from October 8, 2007, to October 31, 2016, were retrospectively reviewed. Inclusion criteria were positive tetrahydrocannabinol urine toxicology screen and diagnosis consistent with unintentional marijuana exposure. Data included age, sex, exposure date range, symptoms, ancillary tests, consults, disposition, and marijuana source. Data were analyzed in R using descriptive statistics. RESULTS Seventeen unintentional marijuana exposures were identified during our study period, 8 cases before and 9 cases after legalization of recreational marijuana, which is 1.19 events per year in the 6.75 years before legalization compared with 3.88 events per year in the 2.32 years after (P < 0.05). Age range was 17 months to 7 years, with a median age of 21 months. Eighty-two percent received laboratory tests, 47% underwent head computed tomography, 6% underwent lumbar puncture, and 100% underwent social work evaluation. Thirty-five percent were discharged from the emergency department, 47% were admitted to general medicine, and 18% were admitted to the critical care unit. CONCLUSIONS Unintentional marijuana exposure incidence increased after legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington State at a tertiary care children's hospital. Providers should be aware of this increasing incidence. These data should be considered in the drafting of future marijuana legislation.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D007880 Legislation, Drug Laws concerned with manufacturing, dispensing, and marketing of drugs. Drug Laws,Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act,Narcotic Laws,Drug Legislation,Drug Law,Law, Drug,Law, Narcotic,Laws, Drug,Laws, Narcotic,Narcotic Law
D002188 Cannabis The plant genus in the Cannabaceae plant family, Urticales order, Hamamelidae subclass. The flowering tops are called many slang terms including pot, marijuana, hashish, bhang, and ganja. The stem is an important source of hemp fiber. Bhang,Ganja,Hashish,Hemp,Cannabis indica,Cannabis sativa,Hemp Plant,Marihuana,Marijuana,Bhangs,Cannabi,Ganjas,Hashishs,Hemp Plants,Hemps,Plant, Hemp,Plants, Hemp
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D006761 Hospitals Institutions with an organized medical staff which provide medical care to patients. Hospital
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012189 Retrospective Studies Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons. Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective
D014861 Washington State bounded by on the north by Canada, on the east by Idaho, on the south by Oregon, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.
D063128 Tertiary Healthcare Care of a highly technical and specialized nature, provided in a medical center, usually one affiliated with a university, for patients with unusually severe, complex, or uncommon health problems. Tertiary Care,Care, Tertiary,Healthcare, Tertiary

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