New Study Determines When Edible Marijuana Ingestions in Children Become Harmful

The rise in cannabis legalization nationwide has in part led to a higher number of children being admitted to hospitals, suggesting harmful exposure to cannabis-containing products. An ingestion of edible cannabis exceeding 1.7 mg/kg in children younger than 6 years old can lead to clinically significant toxicity. That’s the main finding in the study, “Toxic Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Dose in Pediatric Cannabis Edible Ingestions,” published in the September 2023 issue of Pediatrics (published online Aug. 28). The authors did a retrospective study of patient hospital encounters for edible cannabis ingestions from January 1, 2015, to October 25, 2022.  This study took place at an urban pediatric hospital network in a state with legal recreational and medicinal cannabis. There were 151 cases involving ingestion of edible cannabis, and 80 (53%) of them met the criteria for harmful exposure. Common findings in marijuana exposures in children include drowsiness, abnormal heartbeat, loss of muscular coordination, and vomiting. More concerning outcomes are hypotension, coma, respiratory depression, and seizure – which occur in fewer than 2.5% of cases. Researchers say the threshold of 1.7 mg/kg of THC may guide medical management and preventive regulations. 

###

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.