Pediatric Hospitalizations for Unintentional Cannabis Poisonings and All-Cause Poisonings Associated With Edible Cannabis Product Legalization and Sales in Canada

Abstract

This cross-sectional study found that following cannabis legalization, provinces that permitted edible cannabis sales experienced much larger increases in hospitalizations for unintentional pediatric poisonings than the province that prohibited cannabis edibles. In provinces with legal edibles, approximately one-third of pediatric hospitalizations for poisonings were due to cannabis. These findings suggest that restricting the sale of legal commercial edibles may be key to preventing pediatric poisonings after recreational cannabis legalization.