Citation

Salas-Wright CP, Carbone JT, Holzer KJ, Vaughn MG. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019; 204: 107564.

Affiliation

School of Social Work, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, 63103, United States; Graduate School of Social Welfare, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107564

PMID

31568933

Abstract

BACKGROUND: One of the primary cannabis-related reasons individuals seek emergency medical care is accidental cannabis poisoning. However, our understanding of the incidence and characteristics of those who receive emergency medical care due to cannabis poisoning remains limited. We address this gap by examining up-to-date information from a national study of emergency department (ED) data.

METHODS: The data source used for this study is the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). An International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10-CM) diagnostic code was used to identify accidental poisoning by cannabis (T40.7 × 1A) as specified by healthcare providers. Logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between ED admission for cannabis poisoning, sociodemographic factors, and mental health disorders.

RESULTS: In 2016, an estimated 16,884 individuals were admitted into EDs in the United States due to cannabis poisoning, representing 0.014% of the total ED visits for individuals ages 12 and older. Individuals who sought care for cannabis poisoning were more likely to be young, male, uninsured, experience economic hardship, reside in urban central cities, and experience mental health disorders as compared to individuals admitted for other causes. Among cases that included the cannabis-poisoning code, many also had codes for accidental poisoning due to other substances such as heroin (4.7%), amphetamine (10.8%), cocaine (12.9%), and benzodiazepine (21.3%).

CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limitations of ICD-10 data, findings provide new evidence suggesting that practitioners be attuned to the prevention and treatment needs of high-risk subgroups, and that screening for mental health problems should be standard practice for individuals diagnosed with cannabis poisoning.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Cannabis; Drug use; Emergency care; Marijuana; Mental health; Poisoning