Dextromethorphan, found in cough syrup, had the highest number of cases.
Between 2000 and 2020, reports to poison centers for child and teen marijuana use increased by 245%, according to a new study from the Oregon Health and Science University.
The researchers analyzed more than 330,000 reports in the National Poison Data System over the last 20 years and found the increase in marijuana rates was the most of any substance, with the largest increase between 2017 and 2020.
Alok Patel, ABC News medical contributor and pediatrician at Stanford Children’s Health, said he’s not surprised. “Marijuana is readily accessible, in multiple forms, whether at a store, from a friend or relative, or online,” he told ABC News.
Alcohol use reports slowly decreased across the same time frame and were surpassed by marijuana in 2014, according to the study.
Edible marijuana preparations accounted for the highest increase in calls to poison centers, while dextromethorphan, used in cough medicine, had the highest number of cases across the 20-year period, accounting for 15% of reports. This was followed by benzodiazepines, such as Valium and Xanax, which made up 7.5% of cases.
Marijuana had the highest number of calls from 2018 to 2020. Older male teens ages 16 to 18 were the most likely to be involved with the reported cases, regardless of the substance, the study found.
The reports to poison centers were calls from health professionals, public health agencies or the public for…