Edible cannabis products over-represented amongst ED department presentations

Colorado was one of the front-runner jurisdictions for legalized recreational cannabis use in the USA. In a study supported by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, researchers have examined adult emergency department (ED) visits related to edible and inhaled cannabis exposure, spanning the period January 2012 – December 2016. Factors examined included demographics, route of exposure, dose, symptoms, length of stay, disposition, discharge diagnoses, and attribution of visit to cannabis. During the period in question, there were 9973 visits with associated with cannabis use and 2567 (25.7%) were at least partially attributable to cannabis. Of these, 238 of were related to edible cannabis. Visits attributable to inhaled cannabis were more likely to be for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (18.0% vs. 8.4%), and visits attributable to edible cannabis were more likely to be due to acute psychiatric symptoms (18.0% vs. 10.9%), intoxication (48% vs. 28%), and cardiovascular symptoms (8.0% vs. 3.1%). Edible products accounted for 10.7% of cannabis-attributable visits despite representing only 0.32% of total cannabis sales in the state. Edible cannabis was disproportionately represented amongst those ED presentations, and was disproportionately likely to cause psychiatric symptoms. Read the study findings in more detail here