The Impact of Legalizing Recreational Cannabis on the Children of a Neighboring State

Abstract

Objectives In the United States, cannabis is legal for adult recreational use in 24 states and Washington, DC. Unintentional pediatric cannabis exposures have increased in many states following legalization. We evaluated the relationship between recreational cannabis legalization and the rates of unintentional pediatric exposures in a neighboring state that had not undergone legalization. Methods We obtained cannabis exposure cases for children 0–12 years from the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center electronic database. Only deidentified patient data from closed-case exposure encounters were abstracted. Data were grouped as precommercial and postcommercial availability in neighboring Colorado, demarcated by January 2014. We coded cannabis products as edible, not edible, or unknown. For bivariable comparisons, we used odds ratios, risk ratio, χ2 test, and Wilcoxon rank sum test. We chose a type 1 error rate of 0.05 to determine significance. Results There were 269 exposures over 24 years of calls. Following neighboring legalization, the median number of exposures per year increased from 4 (interquartile range 2, 5) to 24.5 (16.5, 34), the median age increased from 1.9 to 3.0 (P = 0.007), and the relative risk of the exposure involving edible products was double (relative risk = 2.0, 95% confidence interval = 1.6, 2.6). The severity of the exposures' medical effects also increased (P = 0.008). Conclusions The number, severity, and type of pediatric cannabis exposures in New Mexico changed after neighboring recreational cannabis legalization. States neighboring those undergoing cannabis legalization should be prepared to respond to increased acute exposures in children.