REPORTER: Between 2000 and 2020, reports
to poison centers for child and teen marijuana use
increased by 245%.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The researchers analyzed more than 330,000 reports
in the National Poison Data System.
Reports of child marijuana use jumped
the highest with the largest increase between 2017 and 2020.
Edible marijuana products accounted
for the highest increase in calls to poison centers
the study found.
Dextromethorphan, used in cough medicine,
had the highest number of cases across the 20-year period.
Marijuana had the most calls from 2018
to 2020, with most calls involving
16 to 18-year-old males.
The reports to poison centers were
calls from health professionals, public health
agencies, or the public.
The calls may have come in because people
use the drug improperly, took it to achieve a high or overdosed.
The rapid increase in marijuana reports
may be related to the recent legalization of the drug,
the study said.
However, the study's authors called for more research
to confirm the reason for the increase.
Overall, the study found long legalized products
were the most commonly responsible
for poison center calls.
Those include over-the-counter medications,
household products, or common childhood prescriptions.