| Literature DB >> 31418807 |
Jennifer M Whitehill1, Calla Harrington1, Cheryl J Lang2,3, Michael Chary3,4, Waqaas A Bhutta3, Michele M Burns3,4,5.
Abstract
Importance: Pediatric health care contacts due to cannabis exposure increased in Colorado and Washington State after cannabis (marijuana) policies became more liberal, but evidence from other US states is limited. Objective: To document the incidence of pediatric cannabis exposure cases reported to the Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention (RPC) before and after medical marijuana legalization (MML) in Massachusetts. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cross-sectional comparison of pediatric cannabis exposure cases 4 years before and after MML in Massachusetts. The exposure cases included those of 218 children and teenagers aged between 0 and 19 years, as reported to the RPC from 2009 to 2016. Census data were used to determine the incidence. Data analysis was performed from November 12, 2018, to July 20, 2019. Exposure: Cannabis products. Main Outcomes and Measures: Incidence of RPC-reported cannabis exposure cases, both single substance and polysubstance, for the age group of 0 to 19 years, and cannabis product type, coingestants, and clinical effects.Entities:
Mesh:
Substances:
Year: 2019 PMID: 31418807 PMCID: PMC6704738 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.9456
Source DB: PubMed Journal: JAMA Netw Open ISSN: 2574-3805
Cannabis-Related Cases Reported to the Massachusetts Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention for Patients Aged 0 to 19 Years, 2009-2016
| Characteristic | Cases, No. (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabis Single-Substance (n = 98) | Cannabis-Involved Polysubstance (n = 120) | All Cannabis-Involved (N = 218) | |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 47 (48.0) | 39 (32.5) | 86 (39.4) |
| Male | 51 (52.0) | 81 (67.5) | 132 (60.6) |
| Age, y | |||
| 0-4 | 19 (19.4) | 3 (2.5) | 22 (10.1) |
| 5-9 | 2 (2.0) | 2 (1.7) | 4 (1.8) |
| 10-14 | 8 (8.2) | 6 (5.0) | 14 (6.4) |
| 15-19 | 69 (70.4) | 109 (90.8) | 178 (81.7) |
| Route of exposure | |||
| Inhalation/nasal | 50 (51.0) | 103 (85.8) | 153 (70.2) |
| Ingestion | 46 (46.9) | 8 (6.7) | 54 (24.8) |
| Inhalation/nasal/ingestion | 0 | 2 (1.7) | 2 (0.9) |
| Rectal | 1 (1.0) | 0 | 1 (0.5) |
| Unknown | 1 (1.0) | 7 (5.8) | 8 (3.7) |
| Intention of exposure | |||
| Intentional, abuse and misuse | 62 (63.3) | 77 (64.2) | 139 (63.8) |
| Intentional, suspected suicide | 0 | 30 (25.0) | 30 (13.8) |
| Intentional, unknown | 3 (3.1) | 4 (3.3) | 7 (3.2) |
| Unintentional | 25 (25.5) | 6 (5.0) | 31 (14.2) |
| Other, malicious | 4 (4.1) | 0 | 4 (1.8) |
| Other or contamination, sampling | 3 (3.1) | 0 | 3 (1.4) |
| Adverse reaction, drug | 0 | 1 (0.8) | 1 (0.5) |
| Unknown | 1 (1.0) | 2 (1.7) | 3 (1.4) |
| Medical outcome | |||
| Death | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Major | 1 (1.0) | 3 (2.5) | 4 (1.8) |
| Moderate | 34 (34.7) | 66 (55.0) | 100 (45.9) |
| Minor | 20 (20.4) | 34 (28.3) | 54 (24.8) |
| None | 7 (7.1) | 4 (3.3) | 11 (5.0) |
| Unable to follow, judged potentially toxic | 30 (30.6) | 9 (7.5) | 39 (17.9) |
| Not followed, minimal or unrelated | 6 (6.1) | 4 (3.3) | 10 (4.6) |
Unintentional exposure category includes general, environmental, misuse, and unknown.
Pediatric Cannabis Exposure Calls to the Massachusetts Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention Before vs After MML
| Age Group, y | No. of Calls (Incidence per 100 000 Population) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabis Single-Substance Cases | Cannabis-Involved Polysubstance Cases | |||||
| Before MML, 2009-2012 | After MML, 2013-2016 | After vs Before MML, IRR (95% CI) | Before MML, 2009-2012 | After MML, 2013-2016 | After vs Before MML, IRR (95% CI) | |
| All, 0-19 | 29 (0.4) | 69 (1.1) | 2.4 (1.5-3.9) | 54 (0.8) | 66 (1.0) | 1.2 (0.9-1.8) |
| 0-4 | 6 (0.4) | 13 (0.9) | 2.2 (0.8-7.0) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (0.2) | NC |
| 5-9 | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.1) | NC | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.1) | NC |
| 10-14 | 1 (0.1) | 7 (0.4) | 7.1 (0.9-321.3) | 4 (0.2) | 2 (0.1) | 0.5 (0.1-3.6) |
| 15-19 | 22 (1.2) | 47 (2.6) | 2.2 (1.3-3.8) | 50 (2.7) | 59 (3.2) | 1.2 (0.8-1.8) |
Abbreviations: IRR, incidence rate ratio; MML, medical marijuana legalization; NC, not calculated.
The IRR cannot be calculated when incidence is 0 cases.
Figure. Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention–Reported Pediatric Single-Substance Cannabis Exposure Cases by Product Type 4 Years Before vs After Medical Marijuana Legalization (MML) in Massachusetts
aIndicates a statistically significant change in the percentage of all Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention calls from before to after MML.
Proportion of Pediatric Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention Cases Involving Cannabis Before vs After MML in Massachusetts
| Age Group, y | No. of Cannabis Cases (% of All Massachusetts RPC Cases) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabis Single-Substance Cases | Cannabis-Involved Polysubstance Cases | |||||
| Before MML, 2009-2012 | After MML, 2013-2016 | Before MML, 2009-2012 | After MML, 2013-2016 | |||
| All, 0-19 | 29 (0.04) | 69 (0.10) | <.001 | 54 (0.07) | 66 (0.10) | .07 |
| 0-4 | 6 (0.01) | 13 (0.03) | .05 | 0 | 3 (0.01) | .10 |
| 5-9 | 0 | 2 (0.02) | .22 | 0 | 2 (0.02) | .22 |
| 10-14 | 1 (0.01) | 7 (0.11) | .03 | 4 (0.06) | 2 (0.03) | .47 |
| 15-19 | 22 (0.25) | 47 (0.57) | <.01 | 50 (0.58) | 59 (0.72) | .27 |
Abbreviations: MML, medical marijuana legalization; RPC, Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention.
P values from χ2 tests or Fisher exact test when cell sizes were less than 5.